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Home Solutions Categories Food manufacturing and processing Manufacturing of prepared meals and dishes

Are your ready meals and ready sauces ready for what comes next?

Ready meals and ready sauces need to deliver on value, convenience and experience. As more people eat at home, seek “restaurant‑quality” shortcuts and watch every penny, brands, co‑packers and retailers must protect margins, differentiate and respond to health and sustainability expectations.

Shelf-stable formats are well placed to deliver – from single‑serve meals to flavour‑boosting cooking sauces. The challenge is how to modernise packaging and unlock innovation without adding complexity or cost. Moving from traditional formats to paper‑based Tetra Recart cartons opens new ways to grow and future‑proof your ready meals and ready sauces business.

Growing opportunities in ready meals and ready sauces

Global ready sauces volumes already huge

Global ready sauces volumes already huge

Around 10.2 billion packs of ready sauces are sold annually around the world, and both value and volume are set to grow. This scale, combined with steady consumer demand, creates room for new flavour platforms, formats and price points in shelf-stable sauces. 

 

Source: GlobalData, 2024

Value and flavour fuel ready sauces growth

Value and flavour fuel ready sauces growth

The ready sauces market is worth EUR 15.5 billion and forecast to grow 3.6% in revenue and 2.1% in volume between 2025 and 2028. Consumers want convenient, good‑value sauces that also deliver excitement, opening space for tailored, premium and private‑label concepts. 

 

Sources: GlobalData, 2024

Ready meals are part of weekly routines

Ready meals are part of weekly routines

48% of consumers globally purchase ready meals in some form, and more than half of them eat ready meals at least once a week. This entrenched behaviour gives producers a strong platform for ambient innovations that balance value, health and convenience. 

 

Sources: GlobalData / Global surveys, 2024

Ready meals category keeps expanding

Ready meals category keeps expanding

The global ready meals category is projected to reach EUR 18 billion by 2028, with volumes up 1.9% and revenue up 5.5% from 2024 to 2028. As consumers seek time‑saving, portion‑right and better‑for‑you options, ambient formats can capture a larger share of this growth. 

 

Source: GlobalData, 2024

Why choose paper-based cartons for ready meals and ready sauces?

Paper‑based cartons help producers grow ready meals and ready sauces ranges while cutting complexity and supporting sustainability ambitions. Moving from traditional packaging formats to cartons unlocks fresher branding, smarter logistics and formats that match how people cook and eat today.

1. Product and brand

1. Product and brand

Refresh your meal solutions portfolio:
Give ready meals and ready sauces a contemporary look that supports today’s value‑driven, convenient and flavour‑rich propositions, helping your offer stand out in store and online.

2. On-pack communication

2. On-pack communication

Tell a clearer story:
Use flat panels to highlight ingredients, nutrition, origin, serving occasions and preparation ideas. Strong branding and clear information hierarchy help shoppers see how products fit their meals.

3. Portion flexibility

3. Portion flexibility

Right-size cartons for every occasion:
Offer formats for single‑serve, shared meals or recipe components. Portion‑right cartons support meal planning, helping consumers manage budgets and food waste.

4. Production & logistics

4. Production & logistics

Cut complexity in storage and transport:
Flat‑packed cartons reduce inbound storage needs and can enable more filled packs per pallet than alternatives in many configurations, improving handling and efficiency.1

5. Sustainability and perception

5. Sustainability and perception

Support climate and sourcing ambitions:
Cartons based on renewable paperboard can support lower climate impact than alternative packaging formats, as shown in comparative LCA for defined markets and sizes.2

6. Consumer appeal

6. Consumer appeal

Lighten the load for consumers:
Lightweight cartons that are easy to open, empty, reclose, store and flatten after use align with consumer expectations for practical, kitchen-friendly packs and easy waste handling. 

Strengthen your portfolio with Tetra Recart

Tetra Recart gives you a fresh way to develop shelf-stable ready meals and ready sauces that match how people actually cook and eat. Combining market insight, recipe support and packaging design, we help you move from idea to launch‑ready products with clear positioning and controlled risk.

Shape winning ideas from real consumer needs

Pinpoint where shelf-stable ready meals and ready sauces can add most value – from quick weekday dinners and solo meals to flavour‑boosting cooking bases. Working with our Customer Innovation Centre specialists, you can define propositions, formats and price points that fit specific occasions.

Explore our Customer Innovation Centre⁠
Tikka masala in Tetra Recart carton,

Develop and validate recipes, step by step

In our Food Development Centre, you can formulate and run trials for ready meals and ready sauces in Tetra Recart under realistic conditions. Or borrow a mobile test unit to use at your own facilities, helping you make confident decisions before investing in full‑scale production.

Discover the Food Development Centre⁠

Stand out on the shelf with stand-out designs

The flat faces and generous print area of Tetra Recart let you communicate flavour, ingredients, nutrition cues and serving suggestions clearly. Strong visual blocking, colour‑coding and storytelling across the range make it easier for shoppers to navigate your ready meals and ready sauces both on the shelf and online.

Deep dive into package design⁠

Build efficient ready meals and ready sauces production with Tetra Recart

Shifting shelf-stable ready meals and ready sauces into Tetra Recart cartons lets you combine compact, highly automated lines with proven process know‑how. From handling diverse recipes to filling and heat treatment, we support stable operations with an attractive total cost of ownership compared with traditional packaging formats.

Match line choice to your growth agenda

For large‑volume SKUs, the Tetra Pak® R1 line delivers fully automated, high‑speed filling of selected Tetra Recart packages to maximise throughput. When you need range breadth, frequent changeovers or to serve multiple customers, the Tetra Pak® R2 line can run the full Tetra Recart size span, supporting mixed ready meals and ready sauces portfolios.

Find out more about Tetra Recart lines⁠

Configure processes for quality and food safety

Our Food Development Centre specialists understand the characteristics of shelf-stable ready meals and ready sauces. We work with you to configure processing, filling and retorting conditions for Tetra Recart, helping you secure consistent quality, food safety and yield from early trials through to full‑scale production.

Get access to food development specialists⁠

Reduce the footprint of packs and pallets

Flat‑packed Tetra Recart material cuts the storage and handling required for empty packs. Once filled, the rectangular cartons enable efficient pallet patterns, helping you make better use of warehouse space and lower transport cost per unit and related emissions in many set‑ups.1

Is your production ready for the future?

Moving shelf-stable ready meals and ready sauces into Tetra Recart can make your operations more efficient and adaptable. With our packaging systems, line expertise and service portfolio, you can continuously improve performance, cut waste and use resources more effectively – building agility to meet future consumer demands.

Ready meals and Tetra Pak Services offerings

Keep pace as menus, formats and volumes shift

Ready meals and ready sauces portfolios change fast – from new flavour platforms and limited editions to more single‑serve and better‑for‑you options. Tetra Recart lines and services help you adapt without major disruption, supporting recipe adjustments, format changes and capacity ramp‑ups. With Tetra Pak® Advanced Agreements and tailored service packages, you can stabilise performance, manage risk and keep your production aligned with evolving demand.

Find out more about Tetra Pak  Advanced Agreements⁠
Rendang, plant-based food in Tetra Recart carton packages

Reduce carbon emissions and boost sustainability credentials

Comparative life‑cycle assessments show that, for defined sizes and markets, Tetra Recart cartons can have lower CO₂ emissions than alternative packaging formats.2 Using FSC™‑certified paperboard3 from responsibly managed forests and other controlled sources, together with space‑efficient transport, helps respond to consumer expectations for ready meals and ready sauces packaging with verified environmental performance.

What are the routes to market for ready meals and ready sauces in Tetra Recart?

Whether you are a co‑packer, brand owner or private‑label retailer, Tetra Recart offers flexible ways to bring shelf-stable ready meals and ready sauces to market in paper‑based cartons. You can combine own‑line investment and specialist co‑packing partners to balance speed, risk and capital while building long‑term advantage in the aisle.

Vegetables in transparent carton packages

Co-packers: attract high-value, flexible business

Adding Tetra Recart capabilities for ready meals and ready sauces opens the door to contracts from brands and retailers looking to move beyond traditional packaging. A modern paper‑based format, combined with lines designed for multiple SKUs and fast changeovers, helps you serve diverse briefs efficiently and strengthen customer loyalty.

Tetra Recart for co-packers⁠

Brand owners: de-risk the move to carton

Enter Tetra Recart step by step – from pilot runs with experienced co‑packers to full‑scale in‑house production when volumes justify investment. Our support across product development, line design and start‑up helps you manage risk while building a differentiated ready meals or ready sauces portfolio.

Tetra Recart for brand owners⁠

Private-label retailers: build value and loyalty

Use retortable Tetra Recart packages to launch private‑label ready meals and ready sauces that combine strong value with a contemporary, paper‑based look and feel. Working with selected co‑packers or your own lines, you can create distinctive ranges that stand out on the shelf, support loyalty and help safeguard margins.

Tetra Recart for retailers⁠

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1. 12% more 390ml packages, and up to 50% more 100ml packages on each pallet and truck. Based on internal simulations comparing Tetra Recart to cans and jars of equivalent sizes.

2. Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of  Tetra Pak® carton packages and alternative packaging systems for beverages and liquid food on the European market, 2020

3. The FSC licence code of Tetra Pak is FSC™ C014047 - Tetra Pak FSC™ Certificate