What's Hot in Ready Meals PDF Free Download
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© 2024 Cargill, Incorporated. All rights reserved.
Consumers are back on the go, with
less time than ever to prepare home-
cooked meals. They love the speed
and convenience of pre-made sauces,
dressings and entire meals, but also
expect these pre-packaged foods to
deliver on taste and nutrition. We sat
down with three of Cargill’s convenience
pros to get their insights on the latest
trends, ingredients and concepts that
are propelling the category forward. >
WHAT’S HOT IN
READY MEALS
WHAT’S HOT IN READY MEALS 2
© 2024 Cargill, Incorporated. All rights reserved.
OUR PANEL:
Jamie Mavec
Associate Category &
Product Marketing Manager
Conor Sullivan
Senior Technical
Services Specialist
Dr. Janice Johnson
Food Technical Advisor
What are the key trends shaping the ready-meals space
today?
JANICE: Sodium reduction is a big one in this space, with the U.S. Food
and Drug Administration (FDA) serving as a key driver. The agency has been
actively working to lower sodium in the food supply for many years, developing
voluntary guidelines and establishing timelines for sodium-reduction targets.
Their monitoring program is slated to come online in spring of 2024, and ready-
meal manufacturers have been working hard to hit those first targets.
CONOR: It hasn’t been easy. Ready meals are especially challenging, because
they have multiple components. A basic lasagna has pasta, cheese, meat and
sauce – and the food manufacturer may source each of those items from a
different supplier.
JANICE: Adding to the challenge, you can’t just aim for a 30% sodium
reduction across the board. Instead, you need to work with each component
and determine how deep of a reduction you can realistically achieve. Then you
put it all together and see if you’ve hit your sodium reduction goals without
negatively impacting the final product. It’s a far-more-complex problem than
reducing sodium in a bread or meat stick.
CONOR: It’s not just sodium; there’s also pressure on manufacturers of ready
meals to improve the overall nutritional profiles of their products. As a result, I’m
having more and more conversations with customers around sugar reduction –
that’s something you didn’t see in the ready-meal space a few years ago.
JANICE: Reducing sugar is the number-one way consumers say food and
beverages can be made healthier, so in that regard, the extra scrutiny shouldn’t
come as a surprise.
CONOR: What is a surprise, however, is just how much added sugar some of
these meals contain. An Asian sweet-and-sour sauce might have 10 or more
grams of sugar in a single serving. Consumers don’t expect to see double-digit
grams of sugar in their entrées.
JANICE: There is good news for brands who want to develop better-for-you
formulations. Whether we’re tasked with reducing sugar or reducing sodium,
we have a pretty good playbook to start from. The real trick is when brands
face competing priorities; for example, trying to accomplish reductions in both
sodium and sugar. It’s all doable, but will likely add to the timeline.
JAMIE: The other health-related trend I’ve noticed is the uptick – especially
in the frozen meal space – in products targeting specific diets, whether that’s
vegan, vegetarian, keto or some other lifestyle trend. Not so long ago, brands
aimed for the masses. Now, there’s so much more diet-related segmentation.
JANICE: But protein is still the star. Whether it’s animal-based or plant-
based, consumers can’t seem to get enough protein, which explains why our
ClaimTracker™ research finds “good source of protein” is the package claim
with the greatest purchase impact.
“Good source
of protein” is the
package claim
with the greatest
purchase impact.
Source: Cargill ClaimTracker™
WHAT’S HOT IN READY MEALS 3
© 2024 Cargill, Incorporated. All rights reserved.
CONOR: Over the last few years, protein was at the center of a lot of
innovation. For a while, plant-based products were everywhere, but that early
excitement has tempered. They’re still out there – and innovation in the space
continues – but some brands have pulled out and sales volumes have dipped.
JAMIE: The takeaway is that even trending products must deliver on the
sensory basics – especially taste and texture. Fall short, and consumers won’t
be back.
JANICE: That’s so true. All the premiumization we see in the marketplace
reflects consumer expectations. It’s also why we see value brands searching for
ways to make their products more appealing. Fortunately, little things can have
an outsized impact on perceptions.
CONOR: Absolutely. Leaning into global flavors can have that effect, or even
something as simple as how ingredients are described. “Fire-roasted” corn just
sounds better.
JANICE: Sea salt has the same effect. Consumers consistently perceive
products made with culinary salts like sea salt and Pink Himalayan salt as more-
premium options. That’s why you see so many products with front-of-pack
“made with sea salt” callouts – it matters to consumers.
What ingredients does Cargill offer to help brands on their
innovation journeys?
JANICE: We started this conversation talking about the FDA’s voluntary
sodium-reduction goals, and Cargill has the tools and expertise to help
brands hit those targets. Our portfolio includes both potassium salt and our
Alberger® salt ingredients that can help lower sodium. We know how to achieve
reductions in these complex, ready-meal formulations.
CONOR: I’ve been impressed with the work you’re doing in high-moisture
systems like sauces. It’s counterintuitive, but you’re using salt to lower sodium
in liquid applications.
JANICE: It seems like the salt would just dissolve, but customers are using
our Alberger salt to achieve sodium reduction in everything from gravy sauces
to chicken pot pies. Alberger products have a unique crystalline structure that
provides a burst of salty flavor, so you don’t need as much in the recipe.
We’ve learned how to adjust the particle size and shape of potassium salt, too,
which enables us to achieve deeper reductions in sodium. In high-moisture
systems like sauces, we get the best efficiency with smaller-sized particles.
Sometimes, there are even synergies when we use our Alberger and potassium
salt solutions together.
CONOR: Our sugar-reduction toolkit is equally strong. We can build back
sweetness with our stevia product line, which includes options like EverSweet®
stevia sweetener or ViaTech® stevia leaf extract. Then we can replace missing
bulk with zero-calorie Zerose® erythritol.
The takeaway is
that even trending
products must deliver
on the sensory basics
– especially taste
and texture.
WHAT’S HOT IN READY MEALS 4
© 2024 Cargill, Incorporated. All rights reserved.
JAMIE: Fats and oils often get overlooked in these formulas, but they play
important functional roles in everything from sauces to salad dressings. With
one of the broadest portfolios around, we can help brands sort through the
choices and land on the solution that best fits their needs. Thanks to our annual
FATitidues™ research, we can even offer insight into consumer perceptions
of the fats and oils used in all kinds of packaged foods, including the ready-meals
space.
CONOR: Starches are another one of those workhorse ingredients. In the ready-
meals space, we need them to stand up to all kinds of abuse: high-retort heat,
shear, freeze-thaw stability and more. Modified food starches have filled this
role for years, but as consumers have embraced “clean-label” trends, we’ve
added SimPure™ label-friendly starches to our product line. They offer similar
functionality to a modified food starch, but appear on ingredient statements with a
simple declaration like “corn starch.”
JANICE: Names matter to consumers. From a chemical perspective, there’s not
much difference between salt, sea salt and Pink Himalayan salt, but consumers
don’t see them that way. Incorporate sea salt or Pink Himalayan in your formula,
and consumers tend to perceive it as a higher-quality product.
CONOR: Premiumization is trending, but in these inflationary times, so is the drive
for value. If cost management is a priority, textured soy protein can be one of
the easiest ways to deliver savings. It’s a great meat extender, and can also help
brands hit their protein targets.
Do you have a favorite prototype that illustrates these ready-
meal trends especially well?
JANICE: Pizza is a staple in the frozen-meal space; it’s also long been associated
with high sodium levels. We challenged our team to create a delicious pizza with a
35% sodium reduction, and they absolutely nailed it.
To meet our target, we had to take all the sources of sodium in every component
into account: the crust, cheese, meat toppings and sauce. Some components
allowed us to make deep cuts; we replaced almost half of the sodium in the crust
with potassium salt. But in the mozzarella cheese, we made a more modest 22%
reduction. Ultimately, we hit our overall sodium-reduction target and affirmed with
sensory and shelf-life testing that we had a winning recipe.
CONOR: Our reduced-sugar and reduced-sodium BBQ sauce is another great
example. We nearly halved the sodium, decreased the sugar by 25% and still
delivered on flavor. It really shows what is possible today!
JANICE: That was a tricky one. Sugar and salt rely on each other for flavor, so
tackling them both was a big challenge. It’s a delicate balance; make a change in
one and you’re almost certainly going to have to adjust the other. But that’s also
the beauty of working with Cargill. We not only have this deep portfolio of 300+
ingredients, but we also have technical experts who spend every day solving
complex formulation challenges.
If cost management is
a priority, textured soy
protein can be one of
the easiest ways to
deliver savings.
WHAT’S HOT IN READY MEALS 5
© 2024 Cargill, Incorporated. All rights reserved.
So what’s next for ready meals?
JANICE: Flavor will always be a focus in this space. I love the fusion of global
cuisines that we’re seeing, as chefs bring new combinations together in creative
ways. It makes every bite an adventure.
CONOR: That’s true, but the pressure to improve nutrition profiles will also
ramp up. Whether that’s by reducing fat, sodium or sugar, or by adding in more
positive nutrients like protein, consumers – and regulatory agencies – are going
to keep pushing for healthier options.
JAMIE: Premiumization is another trend that is here to stay. Some brands
may collaborate with a celebrity chef to signal a premium message, but it can
also be done more subtly, by using ingredients like sea salt and fire-roasted
vegetables. Inflation is stretching consumers’ budgets, but they’re still willing to
splurge when they perceive a product to be of higher value. Consumers may
cut down on the nights they go out to eat, but they’d still like to enjoy an easy-
to-prepare, delicious meal at home.
Satisfy the appetite for delicious, nutritious ready meals – partner with Cargill.
EverSweet® is a product of Avansya, a joint venture of Cargill and dsm-firmenich.
OUR EXPERTS:
Jamie Mavec
Associate Category &
Product Marketing Manager
Jamie is a seasoned marketing
professional with nearly
three decades’ experience in
strategy, market analytics and
tactical execution to enable
customer success. In addition,
she has led successful product
launches, marketing campaigns
and market insights programs
in the edible oils space.
Conor Sullivan
Senior Technical Services Specialist
Conor supports customers in the
convenience category. He also has
experience with animal-based and
plant-based protein formulations,
as well as texturizing ingredients,
to develop successful products
for commercialization. He holds
a Bachelor of Science in Food
Science from the University of
Wisconsin-Madison.
Dr. Janice Johnson
Food Technical Advisor
Dr. Johnson is an experienced
food scientist with over 25 years
of expertise in food production,
including food chemistry, product
applications and technical service
across a wide range of food and
beverage segments. She holds
a PhD in Food Science from the
University of Wisconsin-Madison.
