Tinned cooked vegetables whet the appetite

Ready-to-serve vegetables are reinventing themselves and are trying to break away from the ordinary with recipes using pulses and cereals.

• € 1,93 B: The turnover of vegetable can (+10,5% vs 2022)
• € 728000 t: amount of vegetable cans sold in 2023 (-2,8%)
• € 3,36/kg: the average price for vegetable cans (€+0,40)
• 97% of French households buy vegetable cans
• 15,6 x per year: the frequency of purchase of vegetable cans

Despite prices rising by 15.2% in 2023, vegetable cans are perceived as less expensive than fresh vegetables. But this argument is not the primary weapon used by manufacturers to attract customers back to this unattractive aisle. After the Covid-related record set in 2020 (836,000 tonnes, up 9.9% on 2019), the category fell back to 728,000 semi-raw tonnes in 2023, 4.6% less than in 2018, penalised by inflation. Sales reached €1.93 billion, compared with €1.56 billion in 2018, driven by pulses and prepared vegetables, which are more highly valued than plain vegetables.

At a time when French people's meals are centred on pleasure, the main challenge for canned food is to reveal its gourmet aspect, which, along with its practicality, appeals to younger people who are more tempted by fresh food or the on-trade. By creating the impetus and investing in promotions, showcases and communications, manufacturers are hoping to further enhance the value of the category.

Hence the emphasis on ready-made meals and pulses, which offer an alternative to home-made preparations with a dual guarantee of nutrition and taste. Following on from the success of its cooked dishes in jars in 2023, D'Aucy is expanding its pan-fried products with a Moroccan chickpea reference. 

Source: https://www.lsa-conso.fr/les-conserves-de-legumes-cuisines-aiguisent-les-appetits,454101