Meal Prep Market Size, Share, Growth, and Industry Analysis, By Type (Diet Meal & Muscle Meal), By Application (Team Order & Personal Order), and Regional Insight and Forecast to 2033

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MEAL PREP MARKET OVERVIEW

The meal prep market size was valued at approximately USD 5.68 billion in 2024 and is expected to reach USD 12.89 billion by 2033, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 9.2% from 2025 to 2033.

The meal prep market is growing at a high rate because of people’s changing lives with hectic schedules and the need for nutritional food. Meal prep is a process of cooking meals or their components in advance with the goal of letting consumers eat healthy without extra time spent on cooking. This market includes the ready-to-eat meals, raw meal sets, and portioned packages for the differently-abled, differently-privileged, and differently-picky consumers. Meal preparation services and products play a critical role in the substitution of meal services in the present era for increasing health consciousness, better sustainability, and the need for efficient meals, making this sector crucial for the modern food sector and consumption trends.

COVID-19 IMPACT

"Meal Prep Industry Had a Positive Effect Due to Increased Demand for Convenient, Home-based Meal Solutions during COVID-19 Pandemic"

The global COVID-19 pandemic has been unprecedented and staggering, with the market experiencing higher-than-anticipated demand across all regions compared to pre-pandemic levels. The sudden market growth reflected by the rise in CAGR is attributable to the market’s growth and demand returning to pre-pandemic levels.

Covid-19 positively affected the meal prep market through lockdowns and social distancing that triggered new home cooking experiences and requests for easy meal solutions. People looked for meal prep services and kits so they could have their meals ready to consume without having to shop for groceries. High market growth during the pandemic can also be attributed to increased health consciousness and growth in the reliance on e-commerce. Most households adopted the meal prep approach to save on time and avoid wasting food in the kitchen. This period consequently reinvented the customer’s behaviour; therefore, the preparation of meals is aligned with certain trends of the modern society for the present and further.

LATEST TREND

"Market experiences growth driven by plant-based, sustainable trends"

Trends present in the meal prep market include customized meal plans, natural products, and the use of technology in delivery. Of all these, the increase in the uptake of plant-based and sustainable meals must have been catalysed by the environment and increasingly common veganism. They are using biodegradable packaging and various vegetarian or vegan dishes catering to the fitness- and environmentally-conscious consumers. Other dynamics include subscription-based models and artificial intelligence-driven dietary recommendations. These trends reflect convenience and what most people are willing to do without considering the health consequences or even the consequences on the environment.

MEAL PREP MARKET SEGMENTATION

By Type

Based on Type, the global market can be categorized into Diet Meal & Muscle Meal

• Diet Meal: When it comes to diet meals, the meal prep market targets the client who wants to lose weight and who maintains a healthy diet. Especially these meals contain the desired number of calories, nutrients, and portions, which are useful for fitness lovers. It found that they are particularly appealing for people watching their health and those on specialized diets such as keto, paleo, or low carb. The demands for diet meals are, therefore, cultivated by a spur in the global health consciousness and the rise in cases of obesity-related diseases.

• Muscle Meal: Muscle meals are planned for those who want to gain or maintain muscle as their focus; the meals often have a rich protein intake. This solution is well preferred by sportsmen, persons with a bodybuilding regime, other working out fans, and people in search of quick meals that are not harming the body in terms of nutrients. This is because of the increasing trend of fitness and obese people who prefer packed meals and snacks with high protein. Manufacturers are diversifying their sources of proteins, from lean meats, soy, and other types of vegetables and nuts to meet the expanding market base.

By Application

Based on application, the global market can be categorized into Team Order & Personal Order

• Team Order: The meal prep market orders are aimed at groups such as workplaces, sports teams, or events, and workers are expected to be awake. These orders are established on bulk quantitative servings that are served with variability to suit the clients’ nutritional needs’ efficiency. Organizations have adopted the services mainly in corporate settings where employers wish to offer healthy and easy meal choices for employees.This segment has also benefited greatly from the increased uptake of collaborative work cultures as well as team-based activities.

• Personal Order: Personal orders are meant for clients who prefer ordering meals to be prepared in accordance with their requests and needs related to their diet and activity schedule. In this segment, health food choices vary and can be chosen based on the goals of each eating plan; for instance, the choice could be made based on calorie restriction or by intent of using the meals to either gain or maintain muscle mass. They have expanded dramatically because it offers great convenience and saves a lot of time, especially to working people/hammer cholesterol patients. This segment is highly popular due to the rising tendency to pay attention to healthy eating and a large number of meals being offered.

MARKET DYNAMICS

Market dynamics include driving and restraining factors, opportunities and challenges stating the market conditions.

Driving Factors

"Market growth is driven by demand for personalized, nutritious meals"

As the awareness regarding the value of nutrition increases, the customers are on the lookout for the appropriate portion-controlled meals that contain all the nutrients they need, which boosts Meal Prep Market Growth. Realizing that it is inconvenient for the cook-to-cook different meals, meal prep services are preferred since they bring about stability in the meal and dietary intake. There is an increasing population of people who are facing obesity and diabetes, and this has further created a market for personalized meal preparation services. This trend has been prominent among the gym-goers and working personnel who are health conscious but are too busy to prepare meals.

"Market growth is driven by demand for convenient, healthy meals"

The customers nowadays are busy with their lives and therefore require easy and quick meals that are readily available or prepared from ready-market foods. Meal prep services cut out shopping for groceries, planning for meals, and preparing this food, making them suitable for those with little time on their hands or families. The fact that there are available set plans as well as home delivery makes it convenient for individuals to get healthy meals in their hygienically prepared state. This factor contributes greatly to the growth of the market, particularly in places of work such as towns.

Restraining Factor

"High costs and quality issues may hinder market growth"

A threat for the meal prep market is the relatively high costs of the offered meal preparation services. A substantial portion of consumers consider subscription or professional delivery meal services less cost-effective than cooking themselves. However, the use of external meal suppliers exposes the prison to issues to do with quality and portion size of the meals. Such factors may act as barriers to TCs from patronizing meal prep solutions as often as meal pre-chopping arrangements.

Opportunity

"Increasing demand for healthy meals and delivery services drives market growth"

There is an untapped opportunity for players in the meal prep market because consumers are likely to make better and more informed choices with better available options to grab healthy food in a busy world. Since people nowadays pay attention to their health and want to consume foods that will help them live better and longer, then the meals-to-go services may satisfy this demand. Also, an increase in customer knowledge of dietary restrictions and preferences constitutes an opportunity to serve individual meals. The combination of increasing methods of delivery services and the widespread use of e-commerce platforms simply extends market availability. These factors are responsible for a considerable growth potential in the meal prep business.

Challenge

"High ingredient costs and operational challenges hinder market growth"

One such primary and major constraint that currently hinders the meal prep market is the fact that it still has to obtain fresh ingredients at a very high cost. These fundamental aspects of food and its replenishment create pressure on meal prep services in the area of food quality, nutrition, and product cost. Besides, such operational aspects as delivery troubles or problems with packaging can be problematic from the point of view of customers’ experience. Consumers’ target to get convenience in their consumption may also clash with this factor because of the time and effort needed in preparing some meals. Such factors may act as threats to the future development and financial performance of the market.

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MEAL PREP MARKET REGIONAL INSIGHTS

• North America

"North America leads market growth driven by health awareness"

North America currently holds the largest Meal Prep Market Share due to growing concern with convenience and healthy food. This means that the region of interest, the life of the consumer, is busy, hence leading to demands for meal preparations. Notably, the United States Meal Prep Market is a convenient segment owing to increasing consumer inclination toward tailored and healthy meals. The awareness of health and wellness in the U.S. is driving the growth of the meal prep solution. Thus, a similar trend is projected to continue in the future, which will enhance the market control of North America.

• Europe

"Europe's market growth driven by health, convenience, and lifestyle"

Europe holds a big share in the meal prep market owing to increasing need for convenient food products among the populace. Consumers in the region are showing more and more concern in opting for solutions that would enable them to cut short their time. Growth has been attributed to increasing health concerns and concerns for specific diets, including veganism and gluten-freedom. Also, a rising number of working adults and active lifestyles contribute to the growth of portion control use. Consequently, Europe has been experiencing a progressive rise in the market share for meal preparation.

• Asia

"Asia's market growth driven by urbanization, income, and lifestyle"

The Asia Meal Prep Market has benefited from the increased urbanization and changes in people’s lifestyles. In places like China and India, due to an increase in disposable income per head, there is a gradual increase in inclination towards convenience food products. Another factor that favours the market is the trend that involves consuming more plant-based and low-calorie products. However, the consuming public, which includes working professionals and the younger generation, is now demanding ready-to-eat healthy foods. Therefore, the South Asian region is experiencing an increased rate in the outsourcing of meal preparation solutions, mainly due to urbanization.

KEY INDUSTRY PLAYERS

"Market growth driven by diet-specific meals, technology, sustainability"

Major market players are particularly participating in changing and developing new meal prep products to meet customers’ rising demand. Many brands are interested in offering consumers a limited menu of meals based on diets, such as a keto, paleo, or vegan diet. The observed driving factors and forces for this market are the growth opportunities through outsourcing partnerships with delivery platforms and improvements in technology for optimizing meal options. Altogether, more attention is also being paid to sustainability in terms of using environmentally friendly packages, and buying ingredients responsibly boosts the factor of companies’ attraction for environmentally concerned consumers.

List of Top Meal Prep Companies

• Simply Prep Meals (U.K.)
• PrepBox Nutrition (U.K.)
• PrimeMeals (U.S.)
• Abel＆Cole (U.K.)
• Macro Meals (U.K.)

KEY INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS

February, 2024: A recent development in the meal prep market was on, when Home Chef, a leading meal kit company, introduced a new range of customizable meal kits. These kits are designed to offer consumers more flexibility, including the ability to modify ingredients and portion sizes to fit dietary preferences or family needs. These measures do complement the market requirements for meal solutions and their targeted enhancement of consumer satisfaction and market growth. The launch links up with the convenience and healthy eating trends that are evident within the meal preparation industry.

REPORT COVERAGE

The study encompasses a comprehensive SWOT analysis and provides insights into future developments within the market. It examines various factors that contribute to the growth of the market, exploring a wide range of market categories and potential applications that may impact its trajectory in the coming years. The analysis takes into account both current trends and historical turning points, providing a holistic understanding of the market's components and identifying potential areas for growth.

The research report delves into market segmentation, utilizing both qualitative and quantitative research methods to provide a thorough analysis. It also evaluates the impact of financial and strategic perspectives on the market. Furthermore, the report presents national and regional assessments, considering the dominant forces of supply and demand that influence market growth. The competitive landscape is meticulously detailed, including market shares of significant competitors. The report incorporates novel research methodologies and player strategies tailored for the anticipated timeframe. Overall, it offers valuable and comprehensive insights into the market dynamics in a formal and easily understandable manner.