Cooking Ingredients and Meals in Middle East and Africa

April 2025

In recent years, volume sales of cooking ingredients and meals have been struggling in the face of rising costs and prices due to the inflationary global environment as well as more localised problems, such as the frequent loadshedding in South Africa or currency devaluations. However, positive volume growth was seen at a regional level in 2024, with performances expected to improve in the coming years as inflation eases and economies recover.

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Key Findings

Ongoing polarisation of demand in Brazil

Although an improving economic backdrop helped drive healthy growth in Brazil in 2024, the recent inflationary environment has served to increase polarisation, with more affluent Brazilians whose purchasing power has remained unaffected still willing to pay for more expensive products, but lower-income consumers tending to choose economy options.

Olive oil gaining ground in Mexico

The ongoing trend towards healthier products could be seen in Mexico in 2024 as olive oil, viewed as the healthiest variant in edible oils, with its benefits attributed to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, was recording growth in 2024, at the same time as overall edible oils sales were in decline in volume and real value terms.

Scrapping of Precios Justos should benefit private label

The new government in Argentina, in place since late 2023, has lifted import controls and scrapped the Precios Justos programme, which artificially held down prices of certain products and brands, generally sold through supermarkets/hypermarkets. This represents an opportunity for private label, which can now compete fairly on prices with branded products.

E-commerce only a small sales channel

While retail e-commerce continues to gain share, it remains only a minor channel in cooking ingredients and meals in Latin America, with small local grocers the leading mode of distribution, just ahead of supermarkets. Warehouse clubs continued to gain ground in the Brazilian market in 2024.

 

Scope
Key findings
Middle East and Africa has the lowest per capita consumption of cooking ingredients
Positive and consistent growth expected in the coming years
Edible oils the biggest cooking ingredients and meals category in Middle East and Africa
Edible oils sales decline again in South Africa in 2024
Strong value growth but declining volume sales for edible oils in Egypt in 2024
Edible oils add the most new sales in cooking ingredients and meals 2019-2024
Difficult economic backdrop in South Africa sees continued decline in volume sales
Rising prices resulting in price sensitivity among Algerian and Israeli consumers
Small local grocers still the major distribution channel at a regional level
Supermarkets lead in a number of countries in the regions
Private label continues gaining share in South Africa
IFFCO continues to lead cooking ingredients and meals in the region
Multinationals Unilever and Nestlé present across much of the region
Afia loses top spot to Alfa in the Middle East and Africa rankings
Positive value and volume growth expected throughout the forecast period
Healthier products expected to be in demand across the region
Algeria: Market Context
Algeria: Competitive and Retail Landscape
Cameroon: Market Context
Cameroon: Competitive and Retail Landscape
Egypt: Market Context
Egypt: Competitive and Retail Landscape
Israel: Market Context
Israel: Competitive and Retail Landscape
Kenya: Market Context
Kenya: Competitive and Retail Landscape
Morocco: Market Context
Morocco: Competitive and Retail Landscape
Nigeria: Market Context
Nigeria: Competitive and Retail Landscape
Saudi Arabia: Market Context
Saudi Arabia: Competitive and Retail Landscape
South Africa: Market Context
South Africa: Competitive and Retail Landscape
Tunisia: Market Context
Tunisia: Competitive and Retail Landscape
United Arab Emirates: Market Context
United Arab Emirates: Competitive and Retail Landscape
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