Entry into the segment combines industrial scale and clean label to meet the growing demand for convenience with healthiness.
The return of packed lunches to the Brazilian routine has opened up space for one of the most significant movements in the food industry in recent years. With an eye on this market, estimated at R$12 billion and still highly fragmented, Seara is entering the segment with a new line of clean label packed lunches, made from ingredients used in homemade recipes.
The decision is based on a concrete change in consumption habits. With the increased cost of eating out and the consolidation of more domestic routines, daily lunches have returned to being eaten at home or with meals brought to work. The trend has gained traction: in the city of São Paulo alone, around 18 million packed lunches are consumed per month, according to a survey by the leading delivery company in Brazil.
Despite its size, the market still lacks standardization, scale, and relevant national brands. This is the space that Seara intends to occupy, combining its industrial capacity with a proposition focused on convenience and perceived quality.
The new line is anchored in the clean label concept, with everyday recipes, recognizable ingredients, and a flavor proposition close to that of homemade food. More than just launching products, the company seeks to reposition the category, raising the standard of an offering currently marked by informality. Since May, consumers have been able to find ready-made dishes from the brand in supermarkets, such as feijoada (Brazilian black bean stew), shredded chicken, ground beef with vegetables, Calabrese sausage with onions, among others. The differentiating factor, in addition to the taste of home-cooked food, is the complete meal, with side dishes that Brazilians have become accustomed to consuming with these dishes.
“It’s not about creating a new habit, but about organizing a market that already exists and is growing rapidly ,” says João Campos, CEO of Seara. “Our goal is to bring scale, consistency, and quality to a category that is part of the Brazilian daily routine.”
The introduction of ready-made meals is part of a broader strategy to capture value through new consumption occasions. Another relevant aspect relates to recent transformations in how consumers approach food and health. The advancement of weight-loss medications and increased attention to the nutritional composition of diets have driven the search for foods with higher protein density and simpler ingredients.
More than a one-off trend, this is a growing structural change in Brazil. Consumers are demanding foods that combine convenience, healthiness, and transparency in their composition – attributes that are no longer differentiators but prerequisites. “Innovation today is directly connected to people’s health and daily lives,” says Campos. “When we move towards product lines with higher protein content and simpler ingredients, we are witnessing a real transformation in how we consume food.”
Seara’s interpretation is that the sector’s growth is increasingly driven less by competing for volume in traditional categories and more by the ability to capture new consumption occasions throughout the day. According to research by the food consultancy Galunion, there has been a significant increase in the habit of bringing packed lunches, even among high-income Brazilians. The survey indicates that 61% of those surveyed in the upper class are bringing home-prepared meals more frequently. In this scenario, ready-made solutions, with perceived quality and aligned with new nutritional demands, tend to gain prominence.
“Our great leap in growth comes from a change in mindset. We stopped looking only at shelf volume and started mapping the consumer journey ,” summarizes Campos. “Seara’s growth is based on understanding that Brazilians are not just looking for protein itself; they are looking for a solution for a quick lunch at the office or an indulgence for the weekend at home. It is this deep connection with consumption occasions that elevates our market position ,” says the president of Seara.
