2. One-step convenience
According to the report consumers are increasingly looking for convenient, prepared products that allow the consumer a “feel-good” experience by performing the last step of the preparation unlike straight ready meals that go directly in the oven.
Rice said that these products may absolve some of the guilt felt by consumers, who he says do not want to spend any more than an average of 35 minutes on preparing a meal.
“You feel as if you have some involvement in the cooking or preparation of it and I think that’s quite important for people. That also enhances a feel of quality - rightly or wrongly because I’m saying a feeling of quality not a definitive quality – plus also this sort of healthiness because ready meals have had such a bad press in terms for being unhealthy and high in salt and fat,” he explained.
Rice said that this trend had seen new players move in on the opportunity, saying not all new product releases of this kind have come from straight ready meal manufacturers. “There’s a little bit of catching up to do on behalf of some of the dedicated ready meal companies,” he told FoodNavigator.