Global RTE / RTD Food & Beverage

發布日期：09 Dec 2025

Date & Time (User Local): 2025-12-09 07:43 – Asia/Taipei

Global RTE / RTD Food & Beverage – Weekly Intelligence Brief

1. Macro Market & Consumer Signals

Across global RTE and RTD categories, the strongest unifying theme remains “health plus pleasure.” Innova and Mintel’s 2025 frameworks both show that clean label, functionality, and emotional well-being have shifted from niche to mainstream expectations, with blood-sugar control, hormone balance, and mental wellness now explicitly named as emerging focus areas for food and drink. (Innova Market Insights) At the same time, FMCG Gurus and other trackers continue to report that a majority of consumers scrutinize ingredient lists and link “quality ingredients” to better health outcomes, which is pushing both RTE meals and RTD beverages toward simpler, more transparent formulations. (FoodNavigator.com)

Eating patterns are fragmenting further. Waitrose’s latest Food & Drink Report, widely echoed in UK and global coverage, notes that GLP-1 weight-loss medications are accelerating a shift from traditional plated meals toward “snack-style” eating, with high-protein, nutrient-dense snacks increasingly replacing full meals. (The Times) This aligns with IFT data showing strong unit growth for vegetarian and vegan snack claims and functional snack formats, which are effectively RTE mini-meals with built-in health narratives. (ift.org)

On the beverage side, functional drinks have crystallized into a distinct growth engine: the global functional drinks market is valued around USD 39.9 billion in 2025 and is forecast to grow to about USD 68.5 billion by 2034 (CAGR ≈ 6.2 %), driven by energy drinks, functional waters, RTD protein and meal-replacement beverages, and wellness-oriented juices, coffees, and teas. (Research and Markets)

Aesthetically, “bright and bold” flavours and global inspirations are now baseline expectations. FoodNavigator’s 2026 retail outlook and UK ingredient trend reports both point to global flavours, heat, condiments such as ssamjang, zhoug, chamoy and “fricy” (fruity + spicy) notes moving into the mainstream, in both at-home RTE meals and beverage flavour systems. (FoodNavigator.com)

2. Ingredient, Functional & Formulation Innovation

On the ingredient side, the health trend is increasingly precise. FoodNavigator’s September 2025 review frames 2025 as the year in which functionality and clean label fully converge: protein and fibre fortification, biotics (pre- and probiotics), and plant-based formulations are now being re-engineered to use fewer, more recognisable inputs, partly to escape “ultra-processed” backlash. (FoodNavigator.com)

Plant-based continues to evolve away from meat mimicry toward “culinary-forward” and whole-ingredient approaches: mushrooms, pulses, tofu, jackfruit, seaweed and hybrid plant-plus-meat formats are at the center of new RTE meals, bowls, and snacks, especially in Europe and the UK. (Lupa Foods) For RTE, that translates into high-protein macro-balanced bowls, veg-led curries and stews, and “plant-forward” frozen ready meals rather than just plant burgers.

In RTD, ingredient suppliers are pushing hard to solve the low-/no-sugar and “clean energy” brief. Layn Natural Ingredients’ SteviUp M2 exemplifies the latest generation of stevia systems: better solubility, reduced bitterness, and a more sugar-like profile designed for sodas, functional waters, and flavoured RTD teas. (Mintel) At IFT FIRST 2025, several suppliers also highlighted heat-stable, neutral-tasting proteins tailored for beverages and small-portion RTE applications, plus carob-based prebiotic fibres supporting gut and metabolic health, and flavour-modifying compounds engineered to improve mouthfeel and mask off-notes in low-sugar formulations. (The Food Institute)

From a technology perspective, AI-assisted formulation and flavour-pairing tools are quietly moving from R&D curiosity into practical support. Diffusion-model-based approaches like “FlavorDiffusion” are being used to predict ingredient synergies and minimise trial-and-error in beverage and snack development, while functional-beverage analytics (for example, segmentation of hydration, protein, and energy RTDs in the US) guide where new functional claims and ingredient stacks are most likely to resonate. (Glanbia Nutritionals)

Sustainability and upcycling remain important threads that cross RTE and RTD. Recent market sizing suggests upcycled foods overall could reach USD 124 billion by 2034, and ingredient suppliers are increasingly valorising fruit pomace, spent grains, and other by-products into fibres, natural sugars, and flavour bases for snacks and drinks. (Research and Markets)

3. Notable Launches & Product Directions

In beverages, the current wave of new launches skews toward “premium functional” and “better-for-you indulgence.” BeverageDaily’s December spotlight on new launches includes functional sodas like Jamu’s Cucumber & Pineapple, positioned explicitly around gut health, clean-label formulation, and elevated flavour, indicating how far functional soda has moved beyond “diet cola” into a wellness-plus-flavour territory. (BeverageDaily.com)

Alcoholic RTDs remain a hotbed of innovation. Park Street’s running log of 2025 launches recently highlighted Chelsea Handler’s Vodka Lemonade line, developed with Owl’s Brew, built around real juice, organic botanicals, and flavour variants (Classic, Pink with rosehips and cranberry, and Mint) that mirror “craft cocktail” expectations in canned format. (Park Street Imports) These sit alongside wine-based party punches and spirit-based seltzers as consumers seek bar-quality flavours in portable SKUs.

On the RTE retail side, high-volume chains reflect similar themes. Aldi’s December limited-time lineup tilts heavily toward “affordable indulgence” and elevated convenience: German-inspired frozen savouries, brioche and festive pasta, burrata bites, and charcuterie-ready components, many of which function as quasi-RTE party and snacking solutions. (Food & Wine) In parallel, Waitrose’s report shows shoppers increasingly building meals out of premium snacks and small plates, such as nutrient-dense bites, high-protein yogurts, and global-sauce-driven veg dishes, rather than classic three-course structures. (The Times)

Healthy snacking itself is getting more structured. Recent coverage of 2025 healthy snacking trends emphasises nut mixes, veggie crisps, fruit-yogurt combos, whole-grain bars, and plant-based “energy bites,” all marketed around sustained energy, fibre, and clean ingredients. (The Impressive Times) These formats blur into RTE mini-meals and are increasingly positioned as weight-management-friendly or GLP-1-compatible options.

4. Deals, M&A and Strategic Partnerships

The biggest RTD corporate move of the week is Anheuser-Busch InBev’s agreement to acquire an 85 % stake in BeatBox, the US “party punch” RTD brand known for bold, nostalgic fruit flavours and high-energy positioning. Multiple industry outlets confirm a purchase price of up to about USD 490 million, with an option for AB InBev to move to full ownership after five years. (Reuters) The transaction, expected to close in Q1 2026 pending regulatory approvals, folds BeatBox into AB InBev’s “Beyond Beer” portfolio, alongside Cutwater Spirits and NÜTRL, and signals that large strategics still see RTD as a major long-term growth lever despite softer alcohol consumption trends.

This acquisition aligns with a broader investor focus highlighted earlier in the year: health, functionality and clean label remain key filters for capital allocation, but high-growth RTD alcohol and crossover brands that command strong velocities and brand loyalty continue to attract big-ticket deals. (FoodNavigator.com) On the non-alcoholic side, suppliers are using partnerships with beverage brands to showcase new ingredient systems, particularly in low-sugar, functional hydration and mood/energy drinks, though these are less publicly disclosed as large M&A events.

5. Retail, Regulatory & Structural Forces

Retail-side analysis for 2026 from FoodNavigator highlights health and wellness, convenience, global flavours, and AI-driven innovation as structural imperatives rather than optional extras. (FoodNavigator.com) As retailers push own-label and assortment toward these platforms, suppliers feel pressure to deliver RTE meals and RTD beverages that are both margin-viable and aligned with these themes: high-protein macro-balanced ready meals, plant-forward frozen dishes, RTD functional beverages with clear benefits, and globally inspired flavour rotations.

Mintel’s 2025 Global Food & Drink Trends emphasise that blood-sugar management, hormone health, and mental well-being will guide claim strategies going forward. (Mintel) That implies a likely tightening of scrutiny over how brands communicate benefits around energy, focus, mood, and metabolic effects. While there have been no headline-grabbing new regulations this week, the direction of travel is clear: more detailed expectation of scientific backing, tighter control of implied medical claims, and growing consumer sensitivity to “wellness-washing.”

Supply-chain challenges have not disappeared. Ingredient cost inflation and volatility in logistics continue to be cited in industry outlooks, reinforcing the move toward regional sourcing, resilient supplier networks, and reformulation that can tolerate raw-material fluctuations (for example, flexible protein systems that can pivot between pea, soy, and blended sources; sweetener systems that are not over-dependent on a single high-intensity ingredient). (FoodNavigator.com)

6. Emerging Themes to Watch in the Coming Weeks

Looking ahead from this week’s data points, several threads are worth watching closely across the global RTE / RTD landscape:

  1. A sharper focus on blood-sugar-friendly and GLP-1-compatible formulations in both snacks and beverages, as appetite-suppressant use reshapes eating occasions. (The Times)

  2. Continued premiumisation of functional RTDs: craft-inspired canned cocktails, functional sodas, and wellness RTDs that emphasize ingredient stories, global flavours, and low-sugar formulations. (BeverageDaily.com)

  3. Expansion of plant-forward RTE meals and bowls, using whole-food ingredients and regional cuisines rather than simple meat analogues, with a strong clean-label narrative. (Lupa Foods)

  4. Greater integration of AI-driven product development and data-guided category design, particularly for flavour pairings and functional stack optimisation in beverages. (FMCG Gurus)

  5. Intensifying competition for consumer trust and authenticity: as Innova’s Anuga insights stress, future growth will hinge on emotional relevance, transparent sourcing, and credible proof of benefit, not just novelty. (Supermarket News)