Driven by busy consumer lifestyles, investment in local production, and a nationwide boom in convenience stores, Thailand’s ready-to-eat (RTE) food sector is set to continue being one of the strongest segments in the country’s food industry, with domestic sales volumes estimated to grow at an annual rate of between 2.3 to 3.3 per cent from 2026 to 2028.
According to research conducted by Krungsri – one of the largest banks in Thailand, the country’s RTE food industry in 2024 reported a combined domestic and export sales volume of 531,800 tonnes, equivalent to $2.4 billion. The domestic market accounted for 281,100t, representing 52.9 per cent of total sales volume, and contributed $1.5bn – or 64.7 per cent of total sales value.
Thailand’s RTE food industry can be broadly divided into two main categories: dry and shelf-stable RTE foods, and chilled and frozen ready meals.
In 2024, domestic sales of dry and shelf-stable RTE foods amounted to 166,100t, valued at $796.7 million, comprising 59.1 per cent of total domestic RTE food sales volume and 51.5 per cent of total sales value.
Dried RTE foods made up 99 per cent of the combined volume of this category, which includes the likes of instant noodles and cereals. Shelf-stable RTE foods, making up the balance 1 per cent of total volume, include products such as RTE meals in retort pouches, RTE cooked rice and ready-made chilli pastes.
Withstanding extremes
Chilled and frozen RTE meals – which have to be packed in materials that can both withstand low temperatures during storage as well as high temperatures during reheating by consumers prior to consumption – had a domestic sales volume of 115,000t, equal to $749.3m.
This accounted for 40.9 per cent of total domestic RTE food sales volume and 48.5 per cent of total sales value. Within this segment, frozen foods made up 55.8 per cent of this category in the domestic market, while the remaining 44.2 per cent comprised chilled foods.
Exports of RTE foods from Thailand in 2024 accounted for 47.1 per cent of total RTE food sales volume at 250,700t. The total export value was $842.3m, representing 35.3 per cent of total sales value.
The majority exported by volume was instant noodles (39.5 per cent), followed by RTE cereals (35.7 per cent), chilled and frozen ready meals (24.1 per cent) and RTE soups (0.7 per cent).
The US was the largest export customer by both volume and value, followed by Australia, Laos, and Cambodia. The Netherlands and Denmark were Thailand’s largest EU export customers – placing sixth and seventh by export volume and fifth and seventh by export value respectively.
Largest RTE category
Overall, instant noodles made up the largest RTE category by volume and value for Thailand’s domestic and export markets. Of the 149,800t of instant noodles sold domestically in Thailand in 2024, 82.8 per cent were in pouches while the remaining 17.2 per cent were in cup noodle format.
In 2024, Thailand’s RTE food industry comprised just 575 factories, the majority (548 factories) being small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Chilled and frozen ready meals manufacturers, totalling 350 factories, represented 60.9 per cent of all RTE food producers.
Meanwhile, 26.6 per cent of the factories were manufacturers of RTE foods packaged in vacuum-packed formats – of the 153 of them, 94.1 per cent were considered SMEs.
One of the largest concerns that the Thai RTE food sector has relates to its exports. In 2024, exports of RTE food products had expanded by 9.8 per cent in volume and 10.7 per cent in value.
This was driven by increasingly fast-paced lifestyles globally that boosted demand for convenient, time-saving meal solutions across major trading partners, and Thailand’s strong export competitiveness, supported by price advantages, abundant agricultural resources, and diversified product innovation.
Geopolitical tensions
Rising food security concerns amid ongoing geopolitical tensions were also believed to have helped prompt countries to increase imports of Thai RTE products.
However, during the first eight months of 2025, exports contracted by 6 per cent in volume and 5.8 per cent in value. While the full-year figures are not out yet, exports are projected to decline by between 8 to 9 per cent in volume and from 8.7 to 9.7 per cent in value.
This has been driven in part by US retaliatory tariff measures, and escalating tensions along the Thai-Cambodian border, which have disrupted cross-border trade and fuelled anti-Thai product sentiment in Cambodia. The largest impact has been on instant noodle exports, for which Cambodia remains a key market.
Another major factor highlighted by local analysts relates to the environment and sustainability. The Thai food industry is paying particularly close attention to the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), which entered into force in February 2025.
The PPWR stipulates that at least 70 per cent of all packaging waste has to be recycled by 2030. The specific target for plastics packaging is 55 per cent.
While the US is the largest export customer of Thai RTE food products, the tariff measures and volatility of the current US administration have made Thai manufacturers increasingly wary of relying too much on the US market.
Besides its immediate neighbours and Australia, EU countries are also important export markets – in particular, the Netherlands for instant noodles (the second largest export market), Denmark for cereals (the third largest export market), and France for chilled and frozen ready meals (the fifth largest export market).
This has resulted in a greater sense of urgency among Thai RTE manufacturers to redesign packaging and labels to comply with these EU regulations.
Eco-friendly alternatives
In recent years, domestic consumers have indicated greater concern for the environment and a desire to lead more sustainable lifestyles, paying more attention to the types of products consumed and the types of packaging they come in. The market has already responded through the increased use of eco-friendly materials such as compostable trays, bio-based plastics and recyclable pouches.
There has also been more light-weighting within packaging design, with the aim of reducing material consumption and transportation costs.
In addition to a greater focus on sustainability, RTE food manufacturers are also trying to woo consumers by introducing more convenience-related features.
For shelf-stable RTE foods and RTE chilled and frozen meals, for example, microwave-safe trays, steam-release pouches and heat-sealable containers are becoming increasingly popular with the end-user.
In addition, smart packaging solutions are gaining momentum in Thailand as consumers seek better transparency and safety assurance. Time-temperature indicators, freshness sensors, and tamper-evident seals are being applied to RTE food products. QR codes, meanwhile, are enabling brand owners to share sourcing, nutritional, and traceability information directly with customers.
In essence, technologies that help build consumer confidence and differentiate products in Thailand’s competitive RTE sectors are expected to gain more demand in the near future.
By Trina Tan
