By Donna Berry, Contributing Editor
The latest catchphrase among many American families remains, “Staying in is the new going out.” Don’t be fooled, this is purely economics—not because more hours have been found in the day to prepare meals from scratch. In fact, convenient dinnertime solutions are in unprecedented demand, with price driving purchase decisions. If consumers are satisfied, they will repurchase the product.
Updating retail entrées
“There’s a trend toward more high-quality, family-sized frozen entrées complete with all meal components—protein, vegetable and starch,” says John Bauman, senior director, culinary, WILD Flavors Inc., Cincinnati. “This may take the place of eating out, but consumers want restaurant-quality meals at home and at an affordable price.”
Consider the freezer case 10 years ago, suggests Rob Kerfin, product line manager, savory flavors, Red Arrow Products Company LLC, Manitowoc, WI. “There were a lot of big meals with little in the way of flavor,” he says. “They were all focused around traditional, home-style concepts that were loaded with fat and salt.
“Today, things are dramatically different,” Kerfin adds. “Increasingly, there are options to meet every consumer’s needs, including single-serve entrées for lunch and larger offerings for dinner. There are healthier options, with less fat and less sodium. Ethnic is everywhere.”
The steadfast approach to manufacturing such meals is to rely on commercial freezing, which freezes foods in a matter of minutes, helping them retain most of their taste, texture and color, as well as nutritional value. “Frozen still seems to be the most popular format for prepared entrées in the United States,” says Steve Albert, R&D director, Sargento Foods Inc., Elkhart Lake, WI.
However, Bauman explains, “there is increasing interest with innovations in tasty, shelf-stable entrées. These meals are being positioned as ‘fresh’ products that can be prepared easily and quickly, and still work well with healthy living.”
Steve Moore, consultant, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, Centennial, CO, on behalf of The Beef Checkoff, says: “While we’re seeing product-development trends across all formats, there currently seems to be more interest in new items for the grab-and-go segment of supermarkets and delis. Most are fresh-refrigerated or at the ‘hot bar’ as meal replacements for home cooking or previous casual-restaurant occasions. Refrigerated-cooked areas are offering more single-serve or portions for two, and with bolder flavor profiles.”
Start with the protein
Animal- or plant-based, most prepared entrées center around the protein component. “Meat is often the ‘wow’ factor in prepared entrées, bringing savory flavor, texture and diversity to everything from pasta-based meals to veggie stir-fries, bowl meals and skillet kits,” says Moore.
