December 2021 - 24

CONVENIENCE FOODS
To Go!
They'll Take It
Prepackaged convenience food may just be more
relevant than ever thanks to post-pandemic shifts
in consumer mindsets, routines and needs
By Emily Cambriello, Contributing Editor
C
ONVENIENCE FOOD HOLDS
an indispensable place in
the lives of most consumers,
whether in transit, at work,
at play or at home. It's a go-to when
time's tight for the speed and ease of
procuring it, along with the effortless
preparation and cleanup.
But the category took on a whole
new level of prominence when the
pandemic disrupted routines and
mobility, forcing consumers to either
cook more, take out or rely on convenience
foods to replace trips to restaurants
and grocery stores to minimize
exposure to the virus. Prepackaged
foods in c-stores and supermarkets
also became a go-to for the extra barrier
of protection they provide from
human touch.
Juggling at-home work demands,
alongside kids' remote schooling for
many, led to quarantine fatigue that
put an extra premium on easily procured
ready-to-eat meals that fit easily
into busy days with the whole family
to feed 24/7.
The pandemic also amplified
consumers' focus on adopting a
healthier lifestyle, a trend already years
in the making driven by millennials.
The same consumers who seek the
convenience of quick, ready-to-eat
meals don't want to sacrifice nutrition
or quality ingredients, especially
given their increased reliance on and
frequent consumption of them.
Another COVID phenomenon
that bodes well for the convenience
services industry is that reduced onsite
populations and social distancing
spurred the closure of many onsite
24 Automatic Merchandiser * December 2021
202326338 | Carson8 | Dreamstime

December 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of December 2021

Editor's Note
Industry News
A True Story
The 2021 Pros to Know Awards
They'll Take it to Go!
Two is Better Than One
K&R Market Fresh
Classifieds
Social Hubs
December 2021 - PCOV1
December 2021 - PCOV2
December 2021 - 1
December 2021 - 2
December 2021 - 3
December 2021 - 4
December 2021 - 5
December 2021 - Editor's Note
December 2021 - 7
December 2021 - Industry News
December 2021 - 9
December 2021 - A True Story
December 2021 - 11
December 2021 - The 2021 Pros to Know Awards
December 2021 - 13
December 2021 - 14
December 2021 - 15
December 2021 - 16
December 2021 - 17
December 2021 - 18
December 2021 - 19
December 2021 - 20
December 2021 - 21
December 2021 - 22
December 2021 - 23
December 2021 - They'll Take it to Go!
December 2021 - 25
December 2021 - 26
December 2021 - 27
December 2021 - 28
December 2021 - 29
December 2021 - Two is Better Than One
December 2021 - 31
December 2021 - 32
December 2021 - 33
December 2021 - 34
December 2021 - 35
December 2021 - K&R Market Fresh
December 2021 - 37
December 2021 - 38
December 2021 - 39
December 2021 - 40
December 2021 - Classifieds
December 2021 - Social Hubs
December 2021 - 43
December 2021 - 44
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