What influences Ukrainians' choices in the meat and sausage category: MHP expert
Kyiv • UNN
The Ukrainian meat and sausage market is transforming: consumption volumes are decreasing, but monetary volume is growing due to inflation. Consumers prefer quality, convenience, trust, and local brands, which leads to the emergence of new products, such as the meat and sausage line under the "Nasha Ryaba" brand.
The Ukrainian market for meat and sausage products is undergoing a transformation. Consumption volumes are decreasing, but this is not so much a crisis as a signal of changing consumer behavior. Ukrainians are buying less, but more selectively — expecting from a product not only satiety, but also quality, convenience, and trust. This is precisely what is shaping the new dynamics of the category today, according to Oleksandr Palamarchuk, Director of Meat and Sausage Category Management at MHP. Further in the material, Oleksandr shares how Ukrainians' consumer habits are changing and what solutions help brands meet modern consumer demands.
According to the results of 2024, the market for meat and sausage products amounted to about 395 thousand tons, and in 2025, a further decrease to 382 thousand tons is predicted. At the same time, the monetary volume is growing, but mainly due to inflationary factors. The key reason for the reduction in volumes is demographic, the population is decreasing, and along with this, the structure of demand is changing.
An important feature of the category is its high fragmentation. Even the five largest producers together occupy only about a third of the market. The rest are dozens of local players who are well aware of their audience. And it is locality that becomes one of the key factors of choice.
Consumer habits differ significantly depending on the region. In Kyiv and the region, buyers value speed and convenience — ready-made solutions and stable quality are important to them. In the West, strong traditions of home cooking prevail, so the level of sausage consumption is lower. The North is focused on the satiety and versatility of products that combine well with each other.
Consumer research results show that local brands and unbranded weighted products consistently rank among the two most popular choices in all regions of the country. In the West, they are chosen by about 45% of buyers, in Kyiv and the region — 35%. This difference emphasizes the importance of trust, habit, and the feeling of "their own" product, which are formed within the local cultural context.
At the same time, the demand for highly processed products is growing. Ukrainians spend less and less time cooking, but are not willing to sacrifice quality or transparency of ingredients. It is trust — in the brand, recipe, and origin of the product — that becomes decisive.
These changes open up new opportunities for updating the category. One example of such a response to consumer demand is the launch of a meat and sausage line under the "Nasha Ryaba" brand. These are chicken meat products in a convenient format, maximally ready for consumption and with a clear emphasis on quality and clear ingredients. The product line includes: ham, rolls, and sausages. It is important that the "Nasha Ryaba" meat and sausage line brought a new audience to the category — young people and those consumers who previously avoided meat and sausage products due to distrust of the ingredients or outdated formats.
The meat and sausage category remains an important part of Ukrainians' diet. Its future is not in chasing volumes, but in a deeper understanding of the consumer, the local context, and a changed lifestyle. These factors are shaping the new dynamics of consumption today.