Snacking pushing out ready meals? Industry weighs in on tensions within convenience sector

27 Jan 2020 --- Despite consumers being under a greater time-crunch than ever before, the desire for convenience is paradoxically turning their attention away from ready meals. Instead, snacking is on the rise, with the ready meal industry grappling to win consumers back. Tactics such as tapping into the clean label trend are proving effective, as well as tempting consumers with increasingly international flavors. FoodIngredientsFirst speaks with key players in the ready meal arena to learn what is coming next.

“Somewhat surprisingly, the emergence of the convenience trend offers a new threat to the ready meals sector despite seemingly going hand-in-hand. Snacking is filling the convenience gap for the increasingly out-of-home and on-the-go consumer,” explains Samuel Russell, EMEA Marketing Manager of Univar Solutions.

Merylin Miguel, Communication Specialist at Biorigin, also points out that people have less time to prepare healthy food at home. Among millennials, the preference is for snacks that are more convenient and do not require preparation. “For ready meals, bringing the appeal of convenience, quick preparation, without losing the natural taste of a home-cooked meal prepared with kitchen cupboard ingredients is certainly the biggest challenge,” she notes. 

However, for Jodi Schwalbe, Marketing Manager of Red Arrow Products, ready meals are popular precisely because they fill multiple needs. “In this on-the-go world, time is precious, but so is what we put into our bodies. Consumers are searching for nutritious and delicious options that are quick and easy to prepare with little cleanup. However, consumers do not want to sacrifice an authentic taste experience,” she says. 

“Perhaps the greatest societal change is the on-the-go versus meal experience conflict,” adds Vince Martin, Business Development, Kalsec Europe. Both attitudes toward eating are commonplace and different solutions are needed for each. On the one hand, authentic quick prepared street food is great for lunch, and on the other hand, a well-prepared and delivered meal experience is a valid choice for evening entertainment, he explains.

The explosion of online food delivery companies such as Deliveroo, which are offering convenience and restaurant-quality in one package, also creates more pressure on ready meal sales, Russell states. 

The conscious consumer is choosing easy-to-use, scratch-based meal kits over the ready meal.Clean label authentic food?
Another major consideration is the premiumization trend, which is seeing the conscious consumer choosing easy-to-use, scratch-based meal kits over the ready meal. “It doesn’t help that the general perception is that ready meals are over-processed and low on quality. These negative connotations are greater when applied to the frozen ready meal sector,” says Russell. 

Despite some negative connotations surrounding frozen ready meals, Russell stresses that with modern technologies, frozen shouldn’t mean a reduction in quality. If anything, frozen foods contribute to waste reduction, a highly relevant topic in today’s market, he notes. 

Accordingly, Univar Solutions supplies a range of functional, clean label starches that have freeze-thaw stability with a neutral profile. Russell states that this allows a products’ intrinsic flavors and colors to be delivered with increased intensity. 

Naturality and clean label are also key concerns for Diana Food, highlights Jean-Christophe Chevalier, Savoury Global Category Director. He notes that consumers have become more conscious, striving for transparency on the origin of ingredients as part of a general trend for authentic food. “For them, authentic taste means an eating experience backed by homemade culinary experiences. The modern consumer no longer wants artificial additives and is switching progressively toward no artificial flavors, no artificial colors and no preservatives,” he states.

Therefore, it falls on the industry to develop clean label solutions that consumers can trust, with a simple list of ingredients that they can find in their kitchen pantry, Chevalier explains. Renata Azevedo, Strategic Marketing Manager of Biorigin, also has seen the food industry become increasingly driven by the clean label trend. “Consumers are increasingly aware of what they eat and drink. They are checking labels and know about food and beverage companies’ reputation and their sustainable initiatives,” she notes. 

However, Russell highlights that it is getting more difficult to keep up with the evolution of clean label, which is starting to include more organic and natural options, as well as staying free from artificial colors, flavors and preservatives. He warns that with organic legislation changing in Europe, this task ahead will be difficult. 

A global taste
There are conflicts in the current market, according to Martin of Kalsec. He explains that while some consumers are increasingly cooking from scratch or using meal assembly kits, others are experimenting with new flavors and experiences. According to Martin, this latter group is being addressed by ready meals, which allow consumers to experience novel cuisines without having to learn and adopt new ingredients and techniques. The offerings are also becoming more authentic and less as interpretations of diverse cuisines.Ready meals allow consumers to experience novel cuisines without having to learn and adopt new ingredients.

“Modern techniques mean that ready meals are of much greater quality. Development chefs have also been allowed to create recipes that reflect the true cuisine, with depths and layers of flavors and textures. This move toward authenticity has been the biggest change in ready meals,” Martin continues. 

Red Arrow Products is also being driven by innovation, with Schwalbe stating that ready meals are the “perfect vehicle to test drive new cuisines” because there is not a lot of preparation, time or cost involved. She predicts that obscure ingredients and fusion cuisine will continue to rise in popularity. 

In the meantime, Schwalbe explains that American barbecue has taken off globally. “Just as in the US, populations are realizing there are different wood species for smoking. In addition, changing cooking times, temperatures and sauces can create a variety of experiences. Many city dwellers do not have access to a barbecue, but they still crave the taste. Ready meals can take advantage of this gap in the market by offering smoked pork, chicken, ribs, sausage or brisket.”

Martin also notes that heat and spice have increased in food globally over the past two years as part of the broader experimental trend. “However, it should be modulated correctly in order to provide balance and interest in the food experience rather than raw heat as a challenge. Personal travel and extensive media coverage of global diet and cuisine have created awareness, and the continually developing ready meal sector has provided easy entry products that provide consumers with in-house opportunities to experience new tastes.”

For Russell, this rise of global tastes is related to an increasingly online population. “With increased exposure to social media and a global larder at our fingertips, we’re seeing a heightened desire for both authentic and adventurous flavors, alongside indulgent textures. This is while still delivering guilt-free food that is accessible to all – areas that provide much room for innovation in the ingredients space,” he concludes. 

By Katherine Durrell