Market Overview

The FY2022 domestic medical meal service/healthy meal delivery service market (the total value of hospital meals, care home meals, and healthy meal delivery services) generated 2,314,200 million yen, 101.0% on a YoY.

In the case of hospital meals (meals for hospital patients and for hospital personnel) and care home meals (meals for older people admitted to facilities and meals for facility workers), the former sees a declining tendency due to decrease in the number of hospitals (as well as hospital beds) and in the number of days admitted, while the latter shows stable expansion against the backdrop of new establishments of paid nursing homes for the elderly. Healthy meal delivery services are expanding due to increased elderly population and to more medical care provided at home. As meals were in demand even amid corona crisis, decreased hospital meals were supplemented by the growing demand for care home meals and meal delivery services, which led the entire market to be on the steady rise.

Noteworthy Topics

Frozen Food Delivery Matching Current Needs

The services that deliver frozen bento and ready-to-eat food mainly geared to older people, which include long term care food and healthy food, are in the spotlight. Frozen meal delivery services benefit both demanders and suppliers. By freezing, suppliers enjoy efficient operation and delivery cost reduction. Frozen food enables demander/users to buy in bulk to store at low cost, dispensing them with receiving the meal every single day, improving convenience. In addition, gradual decrease in people who resist frozen food now that they experienced corona crisis has worked favorably for the market.

Because of growing product variety that includes long term care food and healthy meals, frozen meal delivery services are expanding. On the other hand, how the service providers show their superiority or differentiation from others in the growing market of general frozen food (ordinary food), is a significant challenge.

Future Outlook

The domestic medical meal service/healthy meal delivery service market (the total value of hospital meals, care home meals, and healthy meal delivery services) for FY2027 is projected to attain 2,479,300 million yen. By FY2027, the rate of hospital meals is expected to decline, while the rates of care home meals and healthy meal delivery services to increase.

As shakeout and closure of hospitals continue and more clinics abolish beds, it is difficult for the hospital meal market to grow. On the other hand, while the care home meal market continues expanding, meals becoming paid by out-of-pocket expenses, and shortage of workers bring about the market growth rate to be a slight increase. New establishments of paid nursing homes for the elderly can be the tailwind for the market.

The healthy meal delivery service market is expected to stably expand, due to increasing elderly population. The market is likely to be driven by private companies especially as major companies enter the market.

Research Outline