Malaysia Instant Food Market Research: Seasoning Packets, Canned Foods Are Preferred

In such a fast-paced and busy era of life, instant food solves the problem of people having no time to cook. In addition to satisfying our hungry, ready meals can save time. According to Statista, instant food consumption in Malaysia will reach as high as 369.6 million kilograms in 2021 and is expected to increase to 475.2 million kilograms in 2027. In this research, i-Buzz Asia will focus on "Malaysian instant food market", and take you a glimpse of the current situation of Malaysia’s instant food industry environment!

Instant Food Market Keyword Analysis: Canned foods are highly discussed _ Do Malaysians like eating frozen foods with hotpot?

As i-Buzz Asia’s instant food market keyword analysis, canned foods gained the highest degree of discussion among Malaysians. It has also become Malaysians’ favorite food because of being stored in a long time and sold at affordable prices, as well as not requiring complicated cooking process. In Malaysia, there are many kinds of canned foods, including canned abalone, canned Buddha jumping over the wall, canned braised pork ribs, canned sardines, canned chicken curry, etc.

In addition, "frozen food" and "hot pot" also appeared in the buzzwords of Malaysia's instant food industry. Many Malaysians love eating hot pot and even cooking it at home. Unlike Taiwan, hot pot ingredients include vegetables and meat, yet the major ingredients are different kinds of frozen foods, such as frozen fish balls, seafood tofu, meat balls, Fuzhou fish balls, hot dogs, etc.

Popular Instant Food Items: The young people like using seasoning packets – Canned sardines can be added to home-cooked dishes!

There are many kinds of instant food items, including canned food, frozen food, microwave food, fresh ingredients, and seasoning packets, etc. As i-Buzz Asia data, the most popular items in Malaysia’s instant food market are seasoning packets, canned sardines, porridge, sausages, canned abalone, chicken nuggets, dim sum, hamburgers, Bak Kut Teh, and other types of instant food items.

Under the impact of the pandemic, Malaysia's movement control order has changed Malaysians’ living habits. Everyone has been restricted to go out, so many young families have started cooking at home. The simple cooking method, delicious taste and diverse choices of seasoning packets attract this group of consumers, allowing them to make tasty food without cooking experience, such as Pig's Trotter Vinegar, Laksa, Curry Chicken, Tom Yum Goong, etc.

In addition to seasoning packets, canned sardines are also one of the favorite instant food items in Malaysia. Malaysians also like adding canned sardines to home-cooked dishes such as assam laksa, curry fried sardines, sambal sardines, sardine fried rice, etc., which are familiar home-cooked dishes of Malaysians.

Market Correlation Analysis: Halal certification is indispensable, and being more reliable if brands comply with government regulations

i-Buzz Asia uses correlation analysis technology to analyze the highly correlated key words of Malaysian instant foods. As analysis findings, Malaysian people's requirements for instant food are not a problem. "Halal, suppliers, government regulations, food safety, swine fever, processing" are all important relevant keywords in the Malaysian instant food market. A large proportion of Malaysia's population is Muslim, and they feel safe when consuming instant food with halal certification. In addition, most instant foods are processed foods. Thus, consumers also pay attention to food safety issues, and even care about if suppliers meet the food specifications and standards required by government regulations.

The Extended Correlation Analysis: Malaysians are more sensitive to canned food safety – Halal is a required food certification.

i-Buzz Asia further explores the correlation analysis based on "Halal" and "Food Safety" in the instant food correlation analysis mentioned above. In terms of "Food Safety", found that canned food gained the highest correlation with food safety. Due to the contamination of canned sardines in Malaysia in recent years, the food safety of canned food has attracted more Malaysians’ attention.

In terms of "Halal", the correlation between "Jakim" and "Halal" is relatively high. "Jakim" refers to Department of Islamic Development Malaysia, a federal government agency in Malaysia that administers Islamic affairs in Malaysia, and "Halal" is the standard certification for Muslim food. Thus, Muslim consumers in Malaysia will especially pay attention to whether the food is Jakim and Halal certified when buying food.

As i-Buzz Asia's Malaysian Instant Food Market Research, "seasoning packets" and "canned foods" are the most popular food items in Malaysia’s instant food market, but not microwave products as in Taiwan. The microwave food in convenience stores is largely affected by the movement control order and the changed cooking habits of Malaysians in the pandemic. "Halal" and "food safety" are highly appreciated. Muslim consumers are firstly concerned about whether the food has obtained halal certification and secondly whether instant food is processed food. Malaysians are more intended to pay more attention to food safety issues. They would like to confirm if instant food brands comply with the government's food-related laws and regulations as well as standards to ensure food safety when consuming.