Cooking at home is NOT the new normal and Food Manufactures Know it.

What’s for dinner? The new normal is grocerant ready-2-eat and heat-N-eat fresh prepared food.  If you are cooking a family meal for two, four, or five family members, chances are very good you’re buying several ready-2-eat or heat-N-eat fresh prepared meal components.  Grocery stores, convenience stores and restaurants are all bundling fresh prepared meal components for the home cook.  The home cook is responding buying individualized components then mix and matching them into a customized family meal.

Foodservice branded and private label food manufactures are all vying for your attention. Ready-2-eat and heat-N-eat fresh and prepared foods including items the ilk of Swiss steak, meatloaf, baked salmon, rotisserie chicken, pizza and lasagna.  All of these fresh prepared meal components are portable in portions for 1, 2, or 5 are now available at most foodservice retail location.

Most exciting is the opportunity for new start-up’s and regional manufactures to produce sustainable business built on local, fresh and unique flavor profiles.  Legacy national brand manufactures are experiencing an increased consolidation and acquisition activities repositioning for growth in new non- traditional avenues of distribution.

Consumer are responding to these new offerings, buying meal components in new food channels, experiencing new flavor profiles all the while individualizing the family meal.  The foodservice industry is evolving with the consumer.  Those companies looking for opportunity for growth, times have never been better.

Steven Johnson is Grocerant Guru at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions, with extensive experience as a multi-unit restaurant operator, consultant, brand / product positioning expert and public speaking. Facebook.com/Steven Johnson, Linkedin.com/in/grocerant or twitter.com/grocerant