Food-To-Go Market On Track To Outpace Eating Out In UK
- 2 days ago
- 1 min read
The UK food-to-go market is forecast to reach just under £25bn in 2026, growing faster than the wider eating-out sector, and driven by higher spend per visit rather than more customers, finds a new report.
Market value for the grab-and-go business is expected to increase by 3.4% to £24.9bn in 2026, according to the latest Lumina Intelligence UK Food to Go Market Report 2026.
The projected expansion is supported by rising office attendance, travel flows, and solid consumer demand for convenient, premium food-to-go eating occasions.
Spend is rising 8.5% year on year and increasingly being led by more affluent professionals shifting to convenience food as a high-quality alternative to sit-down restaurants.
Quality has overtaken value as the main purchase driver, with the report demonstrating greater consumer interest in better ingredients, health benefits, and personalisation.
Covering portable, single-portion, and ready-to-eat meals and snacks, fruits and vegetables serve as a key component of the food-to-go market including individually wrapped fruits, small prepared fruit packs, produce pots, salads, and crudités.
“The UK food-to-go market remains structurally resilient, but the way growth is being generated is changing,” explained Lumina Intelligence’s insight lead Linda Haden.
“We’re seeing consumers spend more per visit as expectations around quality, health and personalisation rise.”
“At the same time, operators are navigating a more complex cost environment, which means innovation in formats, pricing and technology will be critical to sustaining growth in the years ahead,” Haden noted.
While the outlook remains positive, success will depend on food-to-go operators adapting to a more polarised market, as well as using insight-led innovation to protect margins, while meeting evolving expectations.
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