How Spanish Supermarkets Are Challenging Restaurants With Ready Meals

Spanish supermarket chains are increasingly selling cooked, ready-to-eat dishes alongside raw groceries, and consumers are buying them in growing numbers, according to industry data reviewed by Público and the trade outlet Cáterin News Digital. The shift is putting pressure on a staple of Spanish hospitality: the fixed-price lunch known as the menú del día.

What the data shows

Consumption of prepared meals in Spain has multiplied five-fold over the past 20 years, reaching more than 16 kilograms per person a year, according to figures cited by Público. A separate study by the retail and consumer-goods association AECOC, titled 'Foodvenience: la nueva cuota de estómago' and presented at the 31st Congress on Commercial Strategy and Marketing, found that 85% of consumers now regularly buy ready-to-eat, ready-to-drink or ready-to-cook products.

According to figures reported by Financial Food and the outlet Vandal, roughly 58% to 60% of consumers buy supermarket prepared dishes at least once a week, with the two outlets citing slightly different shares from the same AECOC research. Adoption is highest among younger shoppers: Cáterin News Digital reports that 93% of Generation Z consumers and 91% of households with children now use these convenience options.

Why supermarkets are gaining ground

Major chains including Mercadona, Carrefour and Alcampo have expanded in-store seating areas, hot-food counters and microwaves for customers who want to eat on site, Público reports. Vandal notes that Mercadona alone plans to open 59 new stores before the end of 2026, part of a broader push into prepared-food retail.

Food critic Mikel López, quoted by Público, said buying individual ingredients can still be more economical than ready meals because raw ingredients typically yield more servings, though preparing them requires time that many shoppers lack. Economics professor Jesús Manuel Plazo, also cited by Público, said supermarkets benefit from market expansion and more efficient use of commercial space, because fixed costs such as electricity do not rise proportionally when a store adds a prepared-food section.

Restaurants call it unfair competition

José Luis Álvarez Almeida, president of the hospitality association Hostelería de España, which represents 300,000 bars, restaurants and cafeterias, described the trend as unfair competition in remarks reported by Público in May and called for government regulation.

Público also reports that the legal position favors supermarkets for now: law professor Anna Ruiz of the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya said Spanish regulations do not require a hospitality license for stores where food sales remain the primary activity and on-site consumption is secondary, treating retail and restaurant service as separate legal markets.

Behind the 'foodvenience' label

AECOC analyst Mariona Gaspà, quoted by Cáterin News Digital, described the behavior as a logic in which consumers 'no longer differentiate between formats or points of sale' but instead pick whichever option — supermarket, delivery app or restaurant — best fits a specific moment. The report adds that 58% of shoppers like adding their own finishing touches to prepared items, 36% will pay a premium for convenience, and 26% will pay extra for deliveries under 30 minutes.

Financial Food reports that AECOC links the trend to demographic changes — smaller households, more people living alone and an aging population — combined with time scarcity and declining home-cooking skills.

Nutrition and cost caveats

Food critic Mikel López told Público that prepared meals often rely on cheaper, less healthy ingredients than home cooking. Nutrition expert Laura Rojo, also cited by Público, recommended supplementing store-bought dishes with fresh additions — for example, adding a freshly cut tomato to a store-bought paella, or pairing a rotisserie chicken with a salad or roasted peppers — to improve their nutritional balance.