As the demands of modern life eat up our time and the working day has less boundaries, the traditional lunchtime break is being pushed aside, with food to go occasions now spanning all day.
Speedy to serve food that is quick and easy to prepare offers real convenience for busy operators and consumers alike.
Food innovation, wider availability of ingredients and exposure to global cuisines have all contributed to us becoming a nation of well-informed consumers with high expectations on standards, quality and choice.
Katherine Prowse, Senior Insight Manager at Lumina Intelligence highlights that the fiscal cost of the pandemic, the consequences of Brexit, a shrinking labour pool and soaring inflation has created the perfect storm, forcing a sense of caution in consumers’ mindsets and has resulted in a very difficult predicament for anyone serving food OOH, stating:
“The cost of living crisis has driven changes in consumer behaviour in the food to go channel. The sector is in the midst of a challenging period of soaring costs and notably value conscious consumers. Continued physical expansion and opportunities around travel hubs, technology and omnichannel are contributing to growth among foodservice players and retailers, alongside this, it’s examples of health, premium and vegan trends that are continuing to influence new product development in the market and really justify higher price points from operators.
“Consumers are more educated than ever in food and drink production, with a rise in knowledge and availability of artisanal products really driving quality expectations across the market. Food to go consumers (85%) overwhelmingly think that good quality has a price, which is great because 3 in 4 consumers (75%) are happy to pay more for this higher quality. It’s the continued innovation and economic recovery that will drive the size of the prize in food to go of about £2.1bn across the next three years.”*
Food to go is a competitive market and to meet consumer demand, products that utilise quality ingredients, authentic recipes and address the needs of specific dietary requirements, provide operators with great options for their food offering.
Charlotte Perkins, Commercial Manager, Pan’Artisan Ltd:
“Increased exposure to world foods via street food markets, along with the accessibility of travel, has resulted in a swell of interest in global, regional cuisines, and a desire for authentic, good quality food. Artisan baked goods have increased in popularity, and a YouGov poll has found half (51%) of Britons choose Italian cuisine as their top choice.**
“Snacking and small bites have also become popular, with an emphasis on premium quality and indulgence gaining favour. Pan’Artisan is renowned for its expertise in dough and for producing breads, dough balls and pizza bases that draw inspiration from the traditional techniques and authentic bread and dough recipes of Italy. Such is our dedication to the quality of our products and the benefits they afford our customers, we undertake twice weekly product testing to ensure our strict criteria is met for product cooking performance, flavour and texture.
To meet demand for premium convenience-led menu options our Mini Pizza Pala Margherita offers a perfect choice for handheld eating; a rectangular shaped, generously sized single portion of delicious authentic Italian pizza.”
A true taste of Italy made to an authentic Italian recipe, the Mini Pizza Pala Margherita delivers the ultimate in convenience and is perfect for hungry travellers; it is stone-baked and ready topped with fine quality Italian tomato sauce and a blend of mozzarella and cheddar cheese.
It’s ideal for eating on the-go as this rectangular shaped pizza measures 22cm by 10cm, providing a tasty individual pizza to sate the hungriest of appetites. Simply defrost the product at room temperature until fully thawed and place in any oven type at 200-220°C for approximately 6 to 8 minutes until the base is crisp and the cheese is melted. Available in cases of 42 units.
*Lumina Intelligence webinar ‘Food To Go – Short Term Challenges & Lasting Changes’ April 2023
**YouGov UK Food Study – April 2022
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