Focus On World Cuisine: 12 November

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Publishing: 12 November

Copy deadline: 31 October

Submissions deadline: 31 October

Contact: Megan Tatum (megan.tatum@thegrocer.co.uk)

The Story

British culinary tastes are getting increasingly exotic. So which cuisines are hot right now and which are falling from fashion? What are the factors – from branded launches and retailer support through to sporting and religious festivals – that influence this? With some suggesting the Brexit vote will influence shoppers’ decisions, how could Brexit affect our food & drink choices?

Key themes:

Retailers: How have retailers changed their world cuisine offerings over the past year? How have they developed own label and branded ranges to tap into the key trends? What will they be doing over the next 12 months to ensure further growth?

Cuisines: Which cuisines have seen the biggest growth in chilled ready meals in the past year? How come? And which ones are struggling? Are these trends reflected in other areas of grocery, such as snacking, beverages and so on?

Price and promotions: This feature will pay close attention to how promotional and pricing strategies have evolved in the past year, with particular attention paid to how suppliers and retailers are tailoring deals around key events, such as Eid, Divali and even the World Cup.

Premiumisation: Premiumisation has been big in chilled ready meals for some time now, but the trend is still gathering pace. How are brands and retailers looking to premiumise?

Meal kits: This has been a key trend in recent years, with brands and retailers looking to attract time pressed shoppers who want the scratch cooking experience without the fuss. What’s new in this area? Which types of cuisines are being used in this area?

Innovation: Key to this feature will be a discussion of the latest NPD from the category’s brands and own label players, large and small. The feature will explore the market trends that have inspired these innovations and weigh up which new launches are most likely to encourage new trends in the market. We will profile four of the most interesting new launches in a separate innovation panel.

Sub sectors: Not just ready meals: In this feature we will also be analysing everything from ethnic meal kits, snacks, pastes, marinades, sauces and recipe mixes. The feature will also look at key consumer trends affecting this category: how is health playing a role here?

Next big thing? This feature will look at the types of cuisines that have been popular in the past year and why – for example, did we see growth in Latin American foods, drinks and flavours as a result of the Rio Olympics? And what will be the next big thing?

Innovation: Key to this feature will be a discussion of the latest NPD from the category’s brands and own label players, large and small. The feature will explore the market trends that have inspired these innovations and weigh up which new launches are most likely to encourage new trends in the market. We will profile the most interesting new launches in a separate innovation panel - four ready meals; four sauces/condiments; four snacks; four ingredients.