Ready Meals
Ready Meals Insights
Our experts discuss emerging trends shaping the ready meals space.
Dr. Janice Johnson
Food Technical Advisor
Sodium reduction is big. With the upcoming FDA monitoring program, ready-meal manufacturers have been working hard to hit those first targets.
Conor Sullivan
Senior Technical Services Specialist
There’s also pressure to improve overall nutritional profiles. I’m having more and more conversations with customers around sugar reduction.
Jamie Mavec
Associate Category & Product Marketing Manager
Not so long ago, brands aimed for the masses. Now, there’s more diet-related segmentation, whether that’s vegan, vegetarian, keto or some other lifestyle trend.
Dr. Janice Johnson
Food Technical Advisor
Whether it’s animal- or plant-based, our ClaimTracker™ research finds “good source of protein” is the package claim with the greatest purchase impact.
Formulation Tips
Sodium Reduction
Dr. Janice Johnson
Food Technical Advisor
Our potassium salt and Alberger® salt ingredients can help lower sodium in these complex, ready-meal formulations.
Conor Sullivan
Senior Technical Services Specialist
I’ve been impressed with the work you’re doing in high-moisture systems like sauces: using salt to lower sodium in liquid applications.
Dr. Janice Johnson
Food Technical Advisor
Our Alberger® salts have a unique crystalline structure that provides a burst of salty flavor, so you don’t need as much in the recipe.
Sugar Reduction
Dr. Janice Johnson
Food Technical Advisor
Reducing sugar is the #1 way consumers say food and beverages can be made healthier, so the extra scrutiny shouldn’t come as a surprise.
Conor Sullivan
Senior Technical Services Specialist
It's surprising how much added sugar some of these meals contain. Consumers don’t expect double-digit grams of sugar in their entrées.
Conor Sullivan
Senior Technical Services Specialist
We can build back sweetness with our stevia products, including EverSweet® stevia sweetener and ViaTech® stevia leaf extract…then replace bulk with Zerose® erythritol.
Functional Ingredients
Jamie Mavec
Associate Category & Product Marketing Manager
With our broad fats and oils portfolios, we can help brands find the right solution, including FATitidues™ research into consumer perceptions.
Conor Sullivan
Senior Technical Services Specialist
Our SimPure™ label-friendly starches offer similar functionality to a modified food starch, but appear on ingredient statements with a simple declaration.
Premiumization
Dr. Janice Johnson
Food Technical Advisor
Sea salt and Pink Himalayan salt are perceived as premium ingredients. That’s why you see front-of-pack “made with sea salt” callouts – it matters.
Conor Sullivan
Senior Technical Services Specialist
Leaning into global flavors can impact perceptions, or even something as simple as ingredient descriptions. "Fire-roasted" corn just sounds better.
Jamie Mavec
Associate Category & Product Marketing Manager
Inflation is stretching consumers’ budgets, but they’re still willing to splurge when they perceive a product to be of higher value.
Download the 2024 report, What's Hot in Ready Meals, for more details.
Reduced-Sodium Pizza
Enjoy pizza night with 35% less sodium. Alberger® salt and Potassium Pro® potassium salt enable significant sodium reductions in the crust, sauce and cheese with crowd-pleasing results.
Reduced-Sugar/Reduced-Sodium BBQ Sauce
A deliciously dippable and grillable sauce. Potassium Pro® potassium salt serves up nearly 50% less sodium, while EverSweet® stevia sweetener + ClearFlo™ natural flavor helps to reduce sugar by 25% while maintaining sweetness.
