Solutions
Insights
Sustainability
About us
Contact us
Careers
Media
Suppliers
United States of America
Introduction
Contact us
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 flavor‑boosting cooking sauces. The challenge is how to modernize 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

Facts 10,2 billion packs a year

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 flavor platforms, formats, and price points in shelf-stable sauces. 

 

Source: GlobalData, 2024

Facts 15,5 bn revenue

Value and flavor fuel ready sauces growth

Value and flavor 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

Facts 48% buy ready meals

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 behavior gives producers a strong platform for ambient innovations that balance value, health, and convenience. 

 

Sources: GlobalData / Global surveys, 2024

Facts 18 billion euro by 2028

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 flavor‑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.

Woman presenting ideas, Customer Innovation Center

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 flavor‑boosting cooking bases. Working with our Customer Innovation Center specialists, you can define propositions, formats, and price points that fit specific occasions.

Explore our Customer Innovation Center⁠
Cooking session, customer and FDC chef

Develop and validate recipes, step by step

In our Food Development Center, 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 Center⁠
Tetra Recart carton packages, generic designs

Stand out on the shelf with stand-out designs

The flat faces and generous print area of Tetra Recart let you communicate flavor, ingredients, nutrition cues, and serving suggestions clearly. Strong visual blocking, color‑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.

Tetra Recart line

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 maximize 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
Kitchen at Food development center, tomato products

Configure processes for quality and food safety

Our Food Development Center 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
Cartons and cans, efficient distribution

Reduce the footprint of packages 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

How we boost your ready-to-eat success

Find out how Tetra Recart helps you build a stronger ambient ready meals and ready sauces business, from quick ideas to efficient scale‑up. Our step‑by‑step overview shows how we support you through insight, concepting, recipe trials, package design, industrialization, and co‑packing.

Explore the full process⁠
Rendang. plant-based products in Tetra Recart carton packages

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 flavor 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 stabilize 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.

Ready meals 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
Holding Tetra Recart carton packages

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
Shopping ready meals in Tetra Recart cartons

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

Explore what else Tetra Recart can do

Tetra Recart is not only a strong fit for beans—it is proven across a range of shelf‑stable foods. Discover how the same paper‑based, space‑efficient format can add value in other categories.

Get in touch with us!

Service engineers training

Have questions about our solutions and products, or need some expert advice? Our friendly team is here to help! Just fill out the form, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

Purpose of contact

Error - please select one option that best describes your request

Business area of interest

Select one or more business areas
Error - please select business area of interest

Get in touch with us!

Summary

Purpose of contact
Business area of interest

Specific area of interest

Error - please select one option that best describes your request

Get in touch with us!

Summary

Purpose of contact
Business area of interest

Scope of request

Error - please select one option that best describes your request

Food category

Error - please select one option that best describes your request
  • Error - please select one option that best describes your request
  • Error - please select one option that best describes your request
  • Error - please select one option that best describes your request
  • Error - please select one option that best describes your request
  • Error - please select one option that best describes your request

Get in touch with us!

Summary

Purpose of contact
Business area of interest

Specific area of interest

Error - please select business area of interest

Get in touch with us!

Summary

Purpose of contact
Business area of interest
Specific area of interest
Scope of request
Food category

What describes your request the best

Error - please select one option that best describes your request
Error - please select your role
Brand Owner Consultant Distributor Integrator Manufacturer Original Equipment Manufacturer Potential Investor Retailer Other
Please describe your enquiry using maximum 1000 characters. The message is mandatory.

Get in touch with us!

Summary

Purpose of contact
Business area of interest
Message
Specific area of interest
Scope of request
Food category
What describes your request the best
Your role

Company information

Enter your valid company e-mail address, such as example@company.com
First name is mandatory
Last name is mandatory
Phone number is mandatory. Please include country code.
The city of workplace is mandatory
Error - please select your country or region
Afghanistan Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory British Virgin Islands Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia Comoros Congo Cook Islands Costa Rica Croatia Curaçao Cyprus Czech Republic Côte d’Ivoire Democratic Republic of the Congo Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Honduras Hong Kong S.A.R., China Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iraq Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macao S.A.R., China Macedonia Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Palestinian Territory Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Romania Rwanda Réunion Saint Barthélemy Saint Helena Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Martin Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Sint Maarten Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Korea South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Svalbard and Jan Mayen Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu U.S. Virgin Islands Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States United States Minor Outlying Islands Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Vatican Venezuela Viet Nam Wallis and Futuna Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe
The company name is mandatory
Error - please select position
C-suite Vice President Director Manager Specialist Associate Entry level Other
Error - please select function
Administrative Business Development Consulting Engineering Executive Management Finance Human Resources IT Legal Marketing Operations Product Management Purchasing Research & Development Sales Sustainability Other
Error - please select the Privacy Policy consent

Thank you for your interest

Your request has been submitted to our teams and we will be in touch shortly. Please click on the button below if you want to submit another request or if you have another query for us.

Something went wrong!

Your request could not be sent at this time. Please try again later, or contact support if the issue persists

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