Sandwiches suffer: Lunchbox items value sales
Lunchbox items value sales  
     
Lunch item Occasions (m) % change yoy
Sandwiches   1119.0 -2.4%
Fruit   721.8 3.3%
Cooked Meats   609.0 -5.1%
Total Cheese   566.1 2.2%
Morning Goods   416.0 -9.2%
Ambnt Salad Accompaniment   314.9 -4.7%
Mineral Water   300.3 2.0%
Total Fruit Squash   287.3 2.7%
Crisps   275.3 5.0%
     
Source: Kantar Worldpanel, 52 w/e 25 Feb 18    

Concerns about carbs and an increased appetite for adventurous options are taking their toll on the sandwich. Although it remains the most popular option, present in more than 1.1 billion lunchboxes, the sarnie is in decline. Over the past year, there were 182 million fewer sandwich occasions than 2014 (down 4%) and 28 million fewer than the previous year (down 2%). 

The decline of the sarnie is driven by cheese and chicken sandwiches, which have fallen by 19 million occasions (down 8%) and 15 million occasions (down 17%) respectively. Ham sandwiches have provided a pocket of growth, gaining eight million annual occasions (up 3%).

Soups gained an extra seven million occasions, up 7%, and salads added another four million occasions to its annual total, up 5%.

There has been a notable rise in world food, with an extra 10 million occasions involving Indian food (up 83%), seven million involving Italian food (up 18%) and four million with oriental food (up 25%).

Health is increasingly a key driver of choices. More than 20 million more lunchboxes contained fruit over the past year. 

There were 10 million more lunchboxes containing vegetarian dishes over the past year - growth of 60%.

Source: Kantar Worldpanel 52 w/e 25 February 2018

Top five motivations behind lunchbox choices
Top five motivations behind lunchbox choices    
         
    % servings   % yoy change
Enjoy the taste 60.6 60.8 0.2 0.3%
Easy to prepare or clear up 20.3 20.5 0.2 1.0%
Filling 14.5 15.9 1.4 9.7%
Health benefits(fibre/vitamins) 14.7 15.1 0.4 2.7%
Quick to prepare 13.2 13.4 0.2 1.5%
         
Source: Kantar Worldpanel, 52 w/e 25 February 2018        

No surprises here. Taste remains the main motivation for lunchbox choices by far. Even with the increased focus on health, products have to taste good to be in with a chance. They have to be satisfying, too - a total of 15% of lunchbox choices were motivated by the product being ‘filling’, which is a significant rise on the year before.

Saying that, a solid nutritional profile carries more sway than ever. The idea of ‘providing a varied diet’ played a role in an extra 25 million lunchboxes over the past year, and ‘more natural/less processed’ was a factor in 11% of choices.

Ease of prep is also becoming an important factor, which may explain the rise in consumers reheating leftovers in microwaves for lunch. Quick to prepare is also a rising consideration, but it is less important than ease. Consumers are sacrificing quick yet labour-intensive options such as sandwiches for longer yet easier preparation, such as microwave cooking. 

Consumers are also looking to spice up their lunchtimes, with 15 million extra occasions driven by ‘fancied a change’ (up 5%).

Source: Kantar Worldpanel 52 w/e 25 February 2018

Older workers lead the way: Lunchbox occasions by age
Lunchbox occasions by age    
      Lunchbox occasions (m)   % yoy change
  Aged 4 and under 2.4 2.8 0.4 16.7%
  Aged 5-9 5.9 6 0.1 1.7%
  Aged 10-15 10.4 9.3 -1.1 -10.6%
  Aged 16-24 10.5 10.4 -0.1 -1.0%
  Aged 25-34 20 18.9 -1.1 -5.5%
  Aged 35-44 18.3 18.7 0.4 2.2%
  Aged 45-54 18.9 19.6 0.7 3.7%
  Aged 55-64 10.4 11.2 0.8 7.7%
  Aged 65+ 3.1 3.1 0 0.0%
           
Source: Kantar Worldpanel, 52 w/e 25 February 2018    

Lunchboxes continue to enjoy a resurgence. An extra 65 million have been consumed over the past year, bringing the annual total above two billion.

That number is closing in on annual levels from 2014, which preceded a dip triggered by the free school meals initiative. There’s no denying the effect of the initiative on kids’ lunchbox consumption, with their share falling from 24.3% to 18.1%, equating to 135 million fewer annual kids’ occasions vs 2014 (an 8% fall per year). That said, the decline among children aged under 15 has plateaued. The government has also announced plans to curb spending on free school meals, which could reverse the trend.

For now, the age segment spearheading the revival is 45 to 64-year-olds, who are consuming 49 million more lunchboxes than last year (+8%) and 89 million more than 2014. This momentum driven by older workers is expected to continue given that the official retirement age will be raised to 66 in 2020.

The younger workforce, by contrast, is dragging the market down. The number of lunchboxes enjoyed by 25 to 34-year-olds fell by 5.5%, and there is also a decline among 16 to 24-year-olds, showing a need for innovation to attract younger consumers.

Alex Foch, Kantar Worldpanel

Source: Kantar Worldpanel 52 w/e 25 February 2018

Cheese sarnie comes out on top: most popular sandwiches
Most popular sandwiches 
For everyday % likes
1.      Cheese 56%
2.      Ham and cheese 55%
3.      Ham salad 52%
4.      Sausage 51%
5.      Cheese and onion  
     
Source: Warburtons survey of 2,000 consumers, May 2018

Who said we were a nation of adventurous eaters? More and more of us may be tucking into bento boxes but, according to Warburtons, the majority of Brits are traditionalists at heart. 

Its survey, which polled 2,000 consumers on the sandwiches they ate, revealed the cheese sandwich came out on top. While over half of Brits tucked into a cheese sarnie, ham & cheese and ham salad came in close second and third places. 

However, the research found a quarter of consumers changed their sandwich eating habits depending on the occasion. When out for a meal, the nation’s eating habits tend to get a little more adventurous (though cheese still features heavily). The top sandwich choice when eating out was a ploughman’s, followed by a club, a BLT and a fish finger sandwich.

On special occasions, consumers are likely to change their eating habits yet again. The top choice for occasions was a Christmas sandwich (presumably in winter), then smoked salmon & cream cheese, and in third place came chicken & stuffing.

The findings revealed Brits will eat an average of four sandwiches a week, as an encouraging 82% agreed it was their favourite lunchtime meal. 

Seven in 10 agreed crusts should be left on and three in 10 believed diagonally was the ideal way to cut their sandwich.

Source: Warburtons survey of 2,000 consumers on which sandwiches they eat, May 2018