Over the last quarter of a century, the retail landscape and demographic of the UK population has changed significantly.
The UK has a diverse population with a wide geographic spread.
Whether inspired by culture, travel, social media or cooking programmes, people are not only looking for authenticity from the brands they know and love but are also keen to try new cuisines and experience new tastes.
As a result, the World Foods offering in supermarkets has needed to adapt and grow to reflect changing shopper needs. The retailers who best serve those shopper needs are likely to win in the category.
“The World Foods fixture has grown not only in size but also in geography, with more stores stocking a wider range of international brands and ingredients, comments Dan Sparshatt, Sales Director, Golden Acre Foods. This trend is likely to continue, with retailers needing to plan their store layouts accordingly to accommodate wider ranges. We also anticipate some products which have broad appeal will cross over into mainstream fixtures as their awareness and popularity grows.”
Whilst not a major reason for consumers choosing ethnic foods, health is most certainly a consideration. The broader trends towards knowing what is in your food is most certainly relevant and brands need to compete with their mainstream equivalents to be successful.
For example, in 2022 Golden Acre introduced popular South Asian brand Suhana’s spice mixes, sauces and seasonings into the world food aisles of UK supermarkets. Quick to prepare, every product has an authentic taste which appeals to both traditional world food shoppers and mainstream consumers. And all Suhana spice mixes contain no artificial colours or flavours and no added preservatives which appeals to today’s health-conscious shopper.
In September 2024, Golden Acre extended the Suhana range to include new, on-trend Indo-Chinese products which appeal to both scratch cooks as well as ‘home cook cheats’ who prefer to use ready-made sauces, rubs and marinades to enhance their cooking.
One method supermarkets are using to expand their world food offerings is by promoting themed weeks to their customers. Golden Acre has been working closely with retailers to create specific world food events, both instore and online, which help to drive shoppers to the world food aisle and satisfy their need for authenticity and familiarity.
The popularity of South Asian cuisine, specifically Indian and Pakistani, continues to be hugely significant in the UK, not just reflecting the population’s ever-changing demographic but also due to wider, more mainstream understanding of South Asian culture, religious festivals and authentic cuisine.
“After seeing the large presence and popularity of Indian snacks brand Jaimin in South Asian independent stores across the UK, we realised the brand was a natural fit for UK supermarket shoppers looking for authenticity in the world food aisle and so we collaborated with brand owner Maharaj Foods to bring its range of popular snacks to supermarket shelves,” adds Sparshatt. “ This initially happened in the summer of 2022 and since then Jaimin has gone from strength to strength, which is not surprising given the continued popularity of South Asian cuisine.”
“In 2024, we were able to up the presence of Jaimin snacks in Sainsbury’s and Tesco to coincide with the retailers’ seasonal Ramadan activities and Diwali celebrations. We plan to do the same during Ramadan in March 2025. By working closely with retailers to promote a variety of authentic cuisines during themed weeks we expect more consumers to be drawn to the world food fixture.”
An exciting trend of Indo-Chinese cuisine is starting to appear in UK restaurants and supermarkets. This cuisine combines the favourite elements of Chinese cuisine, such as stir-fry and soy sauce, alongside the spicy punch of Indian cuisine. This sharp, spicy fusion of flavours has been steadily growing in popularity in the UK, with increasing numbers of restaurants serving its medley of spicy and sweet flavours.
UK supermarkets like Tesco are tapping into this consumer food trend by introducing a new Indo-Chinese sub-category in the world food aisle. This has paved the way for a raft of new additions this summer to the authentic South Asian food brand Suhana, which Golden Acre first introduced into UK supermarkets in 2022, including a selection of Indo-Chinese spice mixes, seasonings, sauces and meal pots which tap into this emerging UK food trend.
“As a business that understands the increasing importance of authenticity in the world food aisle, we’re delighted to be at the forefront of introducing Indo-Chinese foods to UK supermarket shoppers with the authentic South Asian food brand Suhana,” says Sparshatt.
“We work in partnership with retailers to help them develop their ranges and introduce new lines which we know will be popular with consumers. This ensures the category remains interesting to shoppers and can continuously adapt to reflect changing food and shopper trends.”
For example, Tesco recently introduced a new Indo-Chinese sub-category into the world food aisle which paved the way for Golden Acre to roll out new Indo-Chinese products from the popular South Asian food brand Suhana.
Upuli Ambawatta, Brand Manager, at Empire Bespoke Foods, comments: “We’re experiencing a booming demand for bolder flavour profiles which is being driven by ever more adventurous home cooks seeking out new, authentic and exciting taste combinations and cuisines to replace eating out. There is a clear link between the increase of at-home occasions and the type of cuisine on our plates.”
Authenticity and regionality appeal widely to world food shoppers. 78% of world cuisine users are interested in regional dishes from a world cuisine they like (Mintel World Cuisines UK, 2024).
Nearly half of world food sales (Kantar) are coming from cooking sauces, accompaniments and ingredients which is testament to the increasing interest in scratch cooking. Pastes, seasonings and spices are also in a strong position.
The world food market is predicted to hit £2.7 billion by 2027, fuelled by growing excitement from 16–34-year-old consumers wanting to experiment with global cuisines at home.
Indian and Tex-Mex are among the top two cuisines accounting for the vast majority of world food sales. There’s a slight decline in share vs last year but these still show strong spend growth. We also can see double-digit growth in other less established Asian cuisines including Thai Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean, Singaporean, and Filipino with 10% and 15% growth in Thai and Japanese respectively (Kantar).
Japanese cuisine is showing very strong growth coming from volume drivers with higher penetration compared to other major cuisines where the growth is mainly driven by price increase (Kantar).
“Convenience is an increasingly important factor in leveraging the world foods category,” adds Ambawatta. “As long as brands continue to provide authentic flavours and taste experiences – which is what we’ve ensured in our Master Cook range – there is further growth potential for this segment. Convenience and ease of preparation however also influence consumers’ purchase decisions. Our range of world food products aims to provide convenient meal solutions for time-poor consumers.”
Cooking Japanese food at home has never been more popular, partly due to the perceived health benefits of the cuisine, the rising popularity of dishes like ramen noodle soups and the relative ease with which it can be prepared. This reflects the growth Empire Bespoke Foods is seeing with Japanese brand S&B and Master Cook, as consumers experiment with making traditional and authentic Japanese food at home, quickly and easily.
The Master Cook range of meal kits, noodles and condiments, enables taste-seeking, time-poor consumers to explore bold Asian flavours and recreate their favourite world food dishes at home.
For fast, convenient pan-to-plate solutions which don’t compromise on quality, Master Cook meal kits are the ideal formats for consumers as they have been specifically developed for world food novices who want to recreate their favourite dishes without spending excessive time or effort in the kitchen.
Each meal kit (Katsu Curry, Sesame Teriyaki, Curry Udon and Yaki Soba) contains pre-measured ingredients to add to the consumer’s preferred protein or vegetables, to help create chef-crafted meals, at home within 15 minutes. The range is inspired by the evocative flavours and recipes of Japan, Korea and India, and created by chefs with an in-depth understanding and appreciation of aromatic ingredients and traditional culinary techniques.
A range of dry noodles (Ramen, Udon and Soba) ideal for soup or stir-fries, plus Soy sauces (Premium, Dark and Light), Ramen Broth and Classic Kimchi, complete the Master Cook line-up.
“Effective merchandising will help capitalise on the growing popularity of the world food category. Block merchandising by cuisine makes it easier for customers to locate and buy all the items their shoppers need to replicate the at-home restaurant experience,” suggests Ambawatta.
“Ensure the brands you stock offer authenticity and top quality ingredients, and are accessible at competitive prices. Innovation is key to keeping customers engaged with the category and maintaining growth throughout the year.
“Work with brand owners to achieve good positioning and the right offer in-store, and to develop price promotions and impactful social media activity. Achieving on-shelf stand out is a must so enhance visibility of the best-sellers by using suppliers’ planograms as well as point of sale material, off shelf displays and rack end promotions.
“Highlight special deals to encourage additional spend and position key lines near the till point for spontaneous purchasing.”
Empire Bespoke Foods brands are supported by promotions to drive trial and sampling to enable buyers to engage with its products and become brand advocates in their business.
Kikkoman UK General Manager, Bing-yu Lee, comments: “We’ve seen a steady increase in the awareness and demand for international cuisine. Like many food trends this is driven by our increasingly diverse multicultural society which opens up demand for different foods and flavours from around the world. In addition, international travel plays its part in driving interest in different dishes. And there is no doubt that chefs, restaurants and social media exposure of new and exciting ingredients from abroad feeds the public appetite for interesting flavours from other cultures.”
Health is a key growth driver, as some international cuisines are considered healthier than our own. Japanese food is one such cuisine. Fermentation features heavily in Japanese ingredients and the most popular fermented food is of course soy sauce. Kikkoman is leading the way as it’s made with just four pure ingredients and is naturally brewed for a long time allowing high levels of umami to develop. Japanese dishes tend to be based on layering of ingredients, often with complex flavours and it’s all about taste. With foods from mirin to yuzu and miso to soy sauce, Japanese foods are bringing healthy and flavourful ingredients to our everyday cooking.
Retailers in the main are more willing to test new products and flavours then 10 years ago. This is off the back of key trends including those in street foods and restaurants. This is generally backed by top chefs and supported by TV media exposure as well as social media influencers.
“We have noticed how retailers are more receptive to listing our wide-ranging Japanese products as demand for Japanese ingredients increases. Most of the supermarkets now have a dedicated world foods section to trial new tastes from abroad,” adds Lee.
“Consumers tell us that where they can they’re switching out of UPFs. We know from our consumer usage and attitude studies that Kikkoman Soy Sauce has a loyal following and not least because of its purity as well as its high levels of umami.”
The brand’s best-selling SKU is Kikkoman Naturally Brewed Soy Sauce in the iconic 150ml red cap bottle. In fact, it’s the top selling SKU in the market and is up 11% in value year on year (Circana).
Other very popular products in the range include Kikkoman Tamari Gluten-Free Soy Sauce with a commanding 81% value share of its sector and up 11.6% in value over the last 12 months. Kikkoman’s. And its Teriyaki Marinade accounts for 22.5% of all teriyaki sauce value sales and remains the biggest brand in its category.
Kikkoman is broadening its range, adding a host of new products to its portfolio. The new products include Kikkoman Ramen Soup Base, Mirin-fu, Toasted Sesame Oil, Seasoning For Sushi Rice, Panko Breadcrumbs, Sesame Sauce and a Sushi Sauce.
Kikkoman Naturally Brewed Soy Sauce is the brand leader in the soy sauce market with a 31% value share. It’s maintained its lead in the face of inflation and increased competition from private label.
According to market insights the soy sauce category is experiencing growth in both volume and value, indicating strong consumer demand. Brands are still preferred by consumers. The trend is towards premiumisation, and Kikkoman is leveraging its higher product quality.
“The best advice is to stick with the soy sauce brands that are guaranteed to move quickly, those that have a strong growth record and where there is major support behind the brand,” suggests Lee.
Kikkoman will be investing heavily in Chinese New Year ‘25. Major digital recipe campaigns will feature as well as retailer price promotions. Chinese New Year is the biggest marketing period in the Kikkoman calendar.
Kikkoman has a robust marketing and trade promotional support programme in place to ensure its range has high visibility in-store with regular price promotions to reward loyal consumers. Its focus is to maintain a strong rate of sale and to support key promotional periods in the calendar such as Chinese New Year.
Aditi Hilgers, Head of Meals, General Mills, comments: “World cuisines are still incredibly popular, with 92% of Brits choosing international flavours as a core addition to their in-home menu (Mintel). Many look towards world cuisines to help them incorporate variety into their dishes, whilst three in four UK adults state that choosing a world cuisine can make a mid-week meal feel like more of a treat (Mintel).”
The UK has really embraced street food in the past decade with markets and street food hubs now a common site across the country. Our love for trying new dishes from around the world has led to more options available to try at-home as well. Street food flavours particularly resonate with a younger audience who are looking for products in a supermarket that they have tried in restaurants. The growth in popularity of cooking street food dishes at home also builds into wider trends for experience-led dining, value, the ability to personalise recipes and convenience.
Just under half (44%) of Brits have tried Mexican food and it is now worth 8% of value sales within the world foods category – with potential for further growth in the years ahead. One reason behind this is because of the simplicity and versatility of ingredients used within many Mexican recipes, as well as the personalisation available. We know that 85% of world cuisine eaters would be interested in trying a new cuisine that shares ingredients with another world cuisine they like; a perfect match when choosing products for fajitas or tacos.
“We all know the feeling of finishing a busy day only to be confronted by the question of what to eat for dinner that evening,” adds Hilgers. “Whether you’re feeding yourself, a partner, or the whole family, mixing up the mid-week staples can be a tricky task, whilst eating the same old meals again and again can become monotonous. Dishes that can therefore be easily personalised, whether that’s by switching the ingredients, flexing the spice levels or with additional toppings, are the ideal solution for the familiar meal-time conundrum.”
Mexican food lends itself perfectly to this personalisation trend and Old El Paso’s meal kits are a tasty base to work from. From sizzling Fajitas, cheese-laden Quesadillas, roasted Enchiladas, or delicately dressed Tacos, people can either follow the recipe on the back for an easy and convenient evening meal, or experiment with different ingredients of their choice to liven up their dinnertime schedule.
Old El Paso recently launched the Street Vibes range, a new multi-format range of soft tacos in two street-style flavours, sauces and spice mixes that transports duos to the bustling streets of Mexican Street Food markets with its vibrant flavours. Easy to prepare and ready in 20 minutes, Street Vibes is perfectly placed to turn up the vibes on a mid-week meal.
Younger consumers typically enjoy a wider range of global tastes, with 50% of 16–24-year-olds having seven or more types of world cuisine at home (Mintel), so introducing convenient and affordable ways to access new global flavours is key to engaging with their preferred tastes. With the meal kits cleverly designed for two-people, the range is perfect for duos looking to turn up the vibes on a date or mates night at home with two popular street-food inspired flavours: Barbacoa and Al Pastor.
To make the launch of this new on-trend range unmissable, Street Vibes has a new through-the-line campaign targeting smaller households already in play and disruptive in-aisle activations live throughout autumn – designed to invite new shoppers into the vibrant world of Mexican meals and help retail partners cater to a wider range of people.
As the UK’s number one Mexican food brand (Nielsen), Old El Paso leads the way in the world cuisine category when it comes to brand desire and is a signpost for the meal kits segment as a whole.
Only 11% of in-home meal occasions contain a World Food Cuisine (Kantar), with Mexican making up just 2%. However, Mexican food is a fast-growing segment within global tastes and has since risen by 17% YOY (NielsenIQ). This creates a strong opportunity to introduce new and exciting Mexican-inspired flavours, with Old El Paso perfectly placed to continue driving the category.
“At Old El Paso, our ambition is to make Mexican a top 10 family meal and inspire world food lovers to explore a vibrant range of Mexican flavours at their dining table more often,” says Hilgers. “Up against the classic British menu staples of Indian and Chinese cuisines, there is a fresh opportunity to drive the occasion for Mexican and embed Fajita Friday firmly within the weekly routine.”
George Phillips, Commercial Director, Wanis, comments: “Demographic shifts and the growth of the UK’s multicultural population have been the biggest single driver of the growth in World Food in recent years. Wanis serves some 5,000 customers, large and small, across the UK, and we see the impact of the change in consumer demographics through mapping our sales throughout the UK.
For example, Manchester and the Northwest has become a “hotspot” for the sale of West African products (primarily to Nigerian and Ghanaian consumers), while certain areas of South and North London are similarly strong in sales of products to Caribbean consumers. Leicester is another example, where sales of products to Southeast Asian consumers are notable. Some of this is historical, but we have seen significant shifts in sales patterns and locations driven by the changing demographics of consumers, and these continue as our population becomes increasingly multicultural.”
Demographics affect the market in other ways too. Older consumers tend to favour the more traditional products – for example Ackee and Callaloo among Jamaican/Caribbean consumers – while younger, often 3rd and 4th generations born in the UK, have a wider repertoire. This manifests in their consuming a wider variety of products, influenced by the other cultures around them, so the lines become blurred. Add in a wider understanding and more adventurous approach by more “mainstream” consumers when it comes to trying new flavours and ingredients, and the traditional national boundaries when it comes to food and who consumes it become further blurred.
What is clear, however, is that the availability of international products in the UK was driven initially by core demographics, resulting in certain areas / locations being historical ‘sales hotspots’, but this has changed and continues to change as the demographic map of the UK evolves.
“World Food sales are not so much driven by Health & Wellbeing but, perhaps unexpectedly, cater for it and health-conscious consumers are becoming more aware, though I don’t think we are yet in a place where sales are actually driven by the health-conscious,” adds Phillips. “Many products from West Africa, Southeast Asia, the Caribbean and elsewhere are plant-based or in other ways suitable for Vegetarians and Vegans. Not deliberately but because they reflect their consumers’ culture and eating habits. Rice, Gari (grated Cassava, a West African staple), beans and pulses, spices and seasonings, even prepared dishes, often originate from countries where meat and fish come at a premium, making plant-based alternatives both necessary and desirable.”
World foods remains a significant opportunity for multiple retailers. While World Food is still a relatively small sector within the wider grocery category for the Mults, it is showing strong growth with little sign this will diminish in the foreseeable future. We have seen, and continue to see, a real focus by a number of the majors on WF – partly as they seek to make their offer more inclusive, partly because it is a growth category and, increasingly, as they understand the demographic changes and so where the consumers are that specific ranges cater to and the opportunities these bring to attract more customers into store.
“From a supplier perspective, it is a bit of a battle for space as in some cases the WF buyers often compete with core grocery for space internally and this can be challenging as many core categories are very much bigger than WF currently,” says Phillips. “In saying that, it is clear that the opportunity is recognised and our job is to work with the customer to ensure it is maximised.”
From the Wanis stable, Coconut coated peanuts, plantain chips and cassava chips under the Tropical Sun brand are performing well. This reflects consumer trends for interesting and exotic alternatives to more conventional products. Similarly in soft drinks, the Tropical Vibes range of exotic juice drinks continues to fly.
“One taste trend we do see is “hot” and it is growing fast. Be it snacks, sauces, noodles – ‘hot is hot’, Phillips continues. “Hot products do have a certain ‘social aspect’ but again something we see as reflective of changing consumer tastes and a broader demographic. Again, an example under the Tropical Sun brand which has a wide range of sauces of all types and strengths, but one ‘hero’ – Carolina Reaper Hot Sauce, the hottest of the lot!”
Some of the best-selling products Wanis distributes include: Tropical Sun Golden Sella rice (parboiled Basmati and a favourite among Nigerian consumers), Africa’s Finest Gari (a coarse flour made from grated Cassava and a staple in West African households), Tropical Sun Coconut Water, Tropical Sun Coconut coated Peanuts and Tropical Vibes exotic juice drinks. Wanis also sells large amounts of dry beans/pulses, flours such as semolina and cornmeal, condensed milk/milk powder and spices/seasonings, as these have a wide consumer base within World Food and, increasingly, outside.
Tropical Sun Carolina Reaper Cassava Chips are ‘on trend’ and unique among their peers as well as a real point of difference from other spicy snacks.
The Wanis portfolio comprises over 500 brands, but the winner is Tropical Sun. A true international brand with food and drink products from across the globe aimed at a broad consumer base, the brand is seeing consistent 20%+ year-on-year growth with annual sales topping £55m.
“By its very nature, this is an incredibly broad and diverse category,” says Phillips. “While some retailers will specialise, the blurring of cultural and consumption boundaries means trying to satisfy everyone means an impossibly large range. This is a category where core range is king – and vital in the interests of space – with more specialist products targeting the more specific demographic(s) of shoppers. That core range will draw consumers – examples being Rice, Milk Powder, dry Beans & Pulses, Flours, Seasonings, Snacks and Drinks – as well as deliver volumes that enable a retailer to order/stock some of the more specialist lines that appeal to their shoppers but achieve lower volumes.”
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