Pre-assembled meals provide a healthy and fresh option for busy shoppers
Implications - Staying competitive with the modern instant gratification culture, grocery stores are offering an increasingly gourmet range of ready-to-eat meals that are easy to take on the go and require minimal, if any, preparation. As health-conscious consumers begin looking for fresh foods outside of the frozen section, supermarkets are offering already assembled plates to help take the guesswork out of meal-prep, providing a fast solution that’s perfect for the Millennial professional on their lunch break or the busy parent who has limited time to make a healthy meal for themselves.
Workshop Question - How can you expedite the decision-making process for busy consumers?
Trend Themes
1. Ready-to-eat Meals - As modern consumers embrace instant gratification, grocery stores are catering to the demand for quick and easy meal options.
2. Heat-and-eat Convenience - Brands offering microwaveable meals or kits with minimal preparation requirements are disrupting the food industry's traditional meal prep and consumption methods.
3. Gourmet Groceries - Small grocers, as well as large supermarket chains, are starting to offer restaurant-quality ready-to-eat meals to meet the public's changing dining habits.
Industry Implications
1. Food Retail - Grocery stores are embracing the demand for more instant, ready-to-eat meal options.
2. Meal Kit Delivery - Meal kit delivery services can incorporate more heat-and-eat meals and provide consumers with greater convenience and less meal prep time.
3. Convenience Stores - Convenience stores can expand beyond snack foods to offer more meal kit or microwavable meal options, catering to the busy lifestyles of their clientele.
