Meal Kits are Here to Stay. Are Your Ingredients?

Traditionally, dinnertime has been a family gathering around the kitchen table to enjoy a meal and catch up on the day. However, today’s on-the-run consumers recognize a new reality – one where convenience is key and time is of the essence.

Enter: pre-portioned ingredients and easy-to-follow recipes, all in one box, available on the shelves of top grocers and retailers. Meal kits emerged with a bang, transforming the cooking experience from an all-day ordeal to the convenient, cook-at-home alternative to costly restaurant trips.

After an initial drop in interest in the segment, consumers have enlivened the meal kit market once more, and according to Technomic’s 2019 Now & Next report, 70% of consumers surveyed believe they are here to stay. The simplicity of picking up an easy-to-prepare meal kit at the grocery store is elevating grab-and-go foodservice from trend to the new normal.

Baked goods are a key component to most meal kits, and as retailers are jumping on this new opportunity, bakers are being tapped to deliver sandwich rolls, hamburger buns, tortillas, and more that will deliver the fresh eating experience consumers expect from meal kits.

Utilizing clean label ESL and DC products —such as Saf-Pro® STAR-ZYME™ and Saf-Pro® XtendLife™—allows bakers to balance antimicrobial and textural shelf life extension while delivering the sensory experience consumers want. And maintaining the ideal eating experience time after time can be the difference between a repeat customer and a lost sale. According to a February 2019 Technomic Omnibus survey, 58% of respondents reported having purchased only a single meal kit from the supermarket prepared foods section, indicating there is ample opportunity to stronghold customer loyalty and also to convert regular restaurant goers for a larger market share.

If you want to tap into the growing meal kit segment, contact us to learn more about clean label shelf extension for your breads and baked goods.