Instore - December 2018 - 39

ly as possible to prioritize
freshness. The company
skips cross-docking and
warhousing steps that
can reduce freshness. The
products are typically delivered to their retail destination the day they're
made.

Photo: Andy Nelson Sosland Publishing Co.

winter, we continue to
see trends in the more
savory-type of items.
People really start
looking for those
homestyle type of
products, but with
the bolder, exciting
flavors."
FreshTake
spotlighted a pair of its
bolder flavors in meal
kits earlier this year at
the annual IDDBA show
in New Orleans.
It's branded line of heat-and-eat
products includes Chimichurri Steak with
Garlic Mash Potatoes & Brussels Sprouts,
and Hot & Spicy Curry Shrimp with Carribean Rice Blend.
Both of the flavors come in a pair of sizes
- 15-20 ounces and 40 ounces. FreshOne's
model is to get product to retialers as quick-

FreshOne usually introduces 10 to 12 new products per year, according
to Amber Blanton, the
company's directory of
research and development
and quality assurance.
"As we see the industry
going more and more
in that direction
-
staying
on
trend,
keeping
things fresh -
we continue to
expand," FreshOne
president
Don
Janacek said at the
show.

Health,
of course
It wouldn't be a product
trends discussion if health
and better-for-you ingredients
weren't on the table, so to speak.
Consumers are also mixing and matching
indulgence and healthy decisions when it
comes to entrees.
"We are still seeing the trend for more
healthful or more health-positive, if you
will," Stack says. "When you say 'healthy'
it's a little different, but a lot of the more
health-positive items are big."
Fresh Creative has moved toward using
several better-for-you grains, like quinoa
and bulgur wheats. Those grains can be
infused into countless dishes to provide a boost of nutrition and some
extra protein.

Chorizo. Photo: ©goir
- stock.adobe.com

The company also uses vegetable
and fruit flavorings - a simple way to clean
up a label and provide an attractive ingredient panel while adding an appealing natu-

Prepared "homemade"
Prepared entrees can be a vital
part of a "home-cooked meal."
More and more consumers are
pairing prepared items with madefrom-scratch sides to create a
homemade meal with a fraction
of the time and eﬀort required.
According to the Food Marketing
Insititute, these are the
demographics most likely to create a
meal at home using some scratch and
some semi- and fully-prepared items:
*

Midwest: 58%

*

Small town: 57%

*

Households of 5+: 57%

*

Women: 56%

ral flavor. "We continue to see that trending
upward and people are always looking for
new flavor profiles in grab-and-go products," Stack says.

"You see a lot of diﬀerent things and
new ﬂavor proﬁles coming from South
American and Latino style products."
JONATHAN STACK, FRESH CREATIVE CUISINE

Stack also says this particular time of the
year is also big in better-for-you entrees,
whether that's with dietary-restricted types
of foods - low-sodium or gluten-free, for
example - or just the straight better-foryou options. "There's a lot of interest in
those items heading into the beginning of
the year," he says. "There's the diet season,
if you will, right after the holidays."
But it ranges far beyond just consumers
looking to take off a little bit of holiday
weight. Consumers, as a whole, are just
more aware of what they're eating.
"They're looking for clean label, they're
looking for low or no preservatives, or

commissary INSIDER * DECEMBER 2018 * 39
Instore - December 2018

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