Pasta, rice, noodles and starches are the perfect base ingredients to make comforting meals that can be both nutritious and delicious. Luckily, most of us have these important staple ingredients in our pantries.
Most consumers agree that pasta is one of the easiest meals to make and with the rising cost of groceries, eating more pasta makes sense financially. This is proven with the dry pasta category in Canada growing +11% in dollars.1 Time-strapped parents turn to pasta often looking for easy, healthy and affordable meal solutions for their family, with 84% of parents agree that pasta is one of their children’s favourite foods.2 Health-conscious consumers will find nutrient dense protein-forward and/or gluten free options.
Rice and noodles are also essential. Multicultural consumers connect to their culture through food and these staple ingredients are often eaten daily. For example, while 67% of Canadians typically eat noodles, this number jumps to 79% for Asians (Chinese, Filipino, South Asian).3 Not surprisingly it’s a similar story for rice where there is a significantly higher proportion of Chinese Canadians eating unflavoured dry rice.
When it comes to other grains and starches, Canadians appear to eat potatoes/sweet potatoes the most, followed by legumes (i.e. beans, lentils peas) and oats rounding out the top three.4 Younger Canadians are more open to different kinds of starches like bulgar, couscous and millet. Innovation is often sourced from new Canadians who seek out familiar starches like cassava, yucca and plantains – thereby introducing these “new” varieties to Canadian consumers.
Canada is more diverse than ever and there is a plethora of products in the market that will appeal to consumers for different needs. The best way to keep consumers coming back for more is affordability and convenience. Offering international flavours will also keep the home cook inspired and their family’s tummies happy.
1 Nielsen IQ topline category rank National ex NFLD all channels rolling 52 w/e 30/12/23
2 Mintel Pasta, Rice, Noodles and Starches – Canada 2024
3 Mintel Pasta, Rice, Noodles and Starches – Canada 2024
4 Mintel Pasta, Rice, Noodles and Starches – Canada 2024
