Ceepackaging

Analysis

Packaging vital in delivering meals out of the home

Following a seminar by industry experts on trends in the European foodservice market and in specific segments, participants enjoyed a road show-cum-lunch that demonstrated how innovations in room service, ready meals vending, airlines catering, hot sandwiches, frozen vending and cafeteria / banqueting can deliver a pleasurable eating experience in a convenient format. And to prove that even haute cuisine can be inspired by quality packaged foods, the delegates were all invited at the newly opened Alain Ducasse Culinary School downtown Paris venue for dinner and demonstrations.
Trends in the European Food Service Market
“Twenty one thousand meals are served out of home every second in Europe,” Peter Backman, the Managing Director of Horizons, reminded participants during his opening presentation. “Food and drink sales to consumers totaled €359 billion in 2008, more than cars.” Horizons, a UK-based think tank specialized in the European foodservice industry, points to a variety of opportunities in the sector – particularly when the economy recovers after 2010.
Though each nation has its habits, the trends towards “fast casual” and frugal lifestyles benefits quick service restaurants (QSRs) and sandwich vendors. Europe’s largest QSR chain, McDonald’s, sold €15 bn worth of food and drinks in 2008, while Yum! and Burger King made more than €2 bn each. With the population aging, there will be an increasing need to feed people who cannot make their own meals, while the drive to control costs should lead to the development of contract catering in companies, schools and hospitals. The potential is largest in the emerging economies of Central and Eastern Europe. Prospects seem less promising for hotel and airline meals, as travelers increasingly prefer to eat at the airport and at a restaurant.
Economic recovery could mean a “return to normality”, with more focus on price, the fundamental need for profitability and an ongoing need for innovation. The number of outlets could decline from its current level of 2,960,000. In general, input costs should remain stable in the coming years, while selling prices should increase. “Though we might not have seen the worst of the recession, there are opportunities to be taken at a time when competitors are particularly weak. Now you can innovate to build the future,” Peter Backman concluded.
24-hour hotel meal service
Hieu A. To, the Director of Hôtel Raphaël Restaurant and the President of the French Association of Hotel Restaurant Directors, discussed the challenges of providing quality meals at all times in hotels. Catering accounts for about 30% of hotels’ revenues in France and room service alone for 12% to 15%. The bestselling room service meal remains the classic chicken & bacon club sandwich, but guests can also have some quirky requests. “Customers are always in a hurry, they want everything immediately. Maintaining consistent quality can be difficult, and a poor breakfast before leaving leaves a nasty impression.” Complaints about room service are frequent, particularly as the staff’s appearance is experienced as an intrusion into the guests’ private space.
Hieu A. To considers that quality food is a strong factor of differentiation for hotels. He assured participants that many hotel chefs are on the lookout for innovative techniques for delivering a varied and consistently good experience to their guests.
The sandwich: a meal for the 21st century
Sandwiches are a global success story, said Udo Baumann, VP of Electrolux Professional. In fact, they are “the most booming market in the world.” People have less time and money to spend on meals. In cities such as Amsterdam and Stockholm, more than half the population is single. “They live in cafés!” Udo Baumann remarked. And yet they are still in a hurry. “Research shows that customers leave if they have to wait more than three minutes in line. Besides, rent is high. You have to serve them their food and drink in one minute.”
What makes a sandwich successful? It should be easy to eat and look and taste delicious. Healthy is an advantage, though sometimes consumers shun healthy alternatives to their favorite foods (like low-fat French fries). Chicken is the absolute top performer as far fillings go, followed by cheese, ham, egg, and more fish than one would expect. The average price of a commercially sold sandwich is €2.45 and dropping. “What you really want to do,” Udo Baumann recommended, “is change a cheap snack into a lunch sandwich – and that means heating it.”
Despite globalization, food is a cultural thing and each market is different. Germany has no official sandwich statistics, but the potential is huge with 17,488 possible outlets – from coffee shops to petrol stations. France is the fastest growing sandwich market in Europe, leaping 11% in 2008 to €4 billion. And it’s the only country where outlets need seating for customers! The British sandwich market is worth approximately €2.2 billion/year and is growing at a rate of 5%. And of course, people increasingly munch on sandwiches between countries – on their low-cost flights.
Dietmar Többen, the Managing Director of Empy System Food GmbH, is a living example of the sandwich success story. When he launched his first chilled and frozen tortillas three years ago, potential customers in Germany were puzzled and reticent. But the originality, easy preparation & handling and the long-lasting good microbiological conditions attracted attention and now Empy’s 24 recipes are a real hit with airlines and the German army, which serves them in 70% of its canteens. Airbus installed 180 vending machines offering Empy sandwiches to its 10,000 employees in Germany.
“The market has changed: decision-makers are looking for convenience,” Dietmar Többen testified. Consumers for instance, like Cryovac® ovenable trays that you can handle barehanded. “At 210° Celsius! I still don’t know how it works, but it does!” And the fast grill that turns a panino golden brown in 50 seconds is also highly appreciated.
Distributing food to hotels, restaurants and caterers
“The HoReCa segment has completely different needs than retailers,” said Jens Nielsen, the head of Metro Cash & Carry’s HoReCa Select range. They don’t care about fancy labels, but they want freshness and quality. “And they almost expect a 24-hour service!”
Metro Cash & Carry developed a range of own brands specifically targeting the segment. Each brand provides complete solutions to drive successful business in hotels, restaurants or catering and offering a significant price advantage compared to A-brands. Thanks to adapted formats and packaging, the products are convenient and stay fresh for longer.
“Packaging is part of our brand and product concepts,” Jens Nielsen added. “We work constantly with Sealed Air Cryovac to create solutions that benefit our customers.” Windows or transparent packaging, portion packs, resealable packaging and easy handling are key factors in the products’ popularity with professionals. “And all our packaging has to be minimized and made recyclable. The fact is that without partners like Sealed Air Cryovac, we couldn’t do anything.”
Packaging as a business driver for foodservice
Fabrice Roy, Sealed Air Executive Director for Global Ready Meal Markets, has seen plenty of evidence of packaging’s success in enabling foodservice. It plays a key role in preservation, transportation, traceability, heat resistance, environmental friendliness, freezing, handling, hygiene and information. “Of course, each segment has different needs and places a different emphasis on quality, shelf-life, step-saving, choice, convenience, weight, bulk & portioning, and coolness to touch.”
Rather than theorize, Fabrice Roy invited participants to inspect how packaging and food preparation solutions function in real-life conditions – in the six demonstration areas of Packforum designed especially for the Tastemakers event.
Room service: quality meals 24 hours a day
Fabrice Roy summarized Sealed Air Cryovac vision for room service: “Hotel chefs should be allowed to focus on creativity, not on the manufacturing of meals.” A broad range of quality, vacuum skin-packed Cryovac Simple Steps® recipes can be reheated in minutes in microwaves.
Ready meals vending: hot food anywhere, anytime
A quality meal from a vending machine? The model from the Jofemar company on display at Tastemakers includes a microwave as well as a fridge to keep Simple Steps ® packed prepared meals chilled, so buyers just have to take their pick from the mouth-watering photos of dishes and – hey presto – their meal is served in a plate-shaped pack. Checking on stock is easy, and so is refilling. This solution is perfect for railways, gas stations, supermarkets, small hotels, etc.
As well, appealing frozen Cryovac Simple Steps® packed meals were displayed on the “Wurlitzer” new vending machine from the German Company Frosta, ready to reheat in side-placed microwave ovens. A perfect solution for small office canteens.
Airline catering: safety and convenience aboard
Cryovac n’Oven® trays are somewhat of a revolution in catering: reheated to 200°C, they remain cool to touch. Flight attendants can handle them without gloves. They are also 30% lighter than CPET trays – a particularly valuable feature up in the air. In addition, they are not brittle, so they meet the most stringent airline safety requirements.
Hot sandwiches for a generation on the move
Would you like your wrap cold, chewy and bland, or warm, crisp, its cheese melted and its blend of aromas rising up to tickle your senses? The new Electrolux panini grill on display at the Tastemakers Empy stand adds value to sandwiches by enhancing the eating experience. It brings a broad range of sandwich types from 0° to 60° faster than ever before, with cycles ranging from 30 to 59 seconds.
Quality ready meals for cafeterias and banqueting
All kinds of appetizing meals are now available in vacuum skin-packed Cryovac Simple Steps® packaging – in single serve, Gastronorm or Half-Gastronorm options. Stored chilled or frozen, they were reheated in minutes in microwave or combi ovens like the new Electrolux Air-O-speed one. It’s the way of the future for outlets seeking quality, convenience and profitability.
High cuisine made easier
In order to demonstrate that quality was present from recipe to the plate, the Tastemakers organization team worked in cooperation with ADF (Alain Ducasse formation et conseil), who designed and prepared all recipes displayed in chilled Cryovac Simple Steps ® and airline Cryovac® OFT trays formats.
Tastemakers’ participants received a special treat when they were invited for dinner to the Alain Ducasse Culinary School in the heart of Paris. In its four experimental kitchens, they saw innovation at work as the young chefs re-created for the delegates four of the packaged recipes tested during the day’s roadshow. Everybody could help cooking delicious fish, vegetables, and great desserts (chocolate fondant and tarte Tatin).
12 students from the Lycee hotelier of Saint Quentin en Yvelines experienced real and striking work conditions in contributing to recipes preparation, plating and serving, both in Packforum and at the Alain Ducasse Culinary school.
The technical side of pleasure…
On October 22, the Tastemakers delegates were invited back in Packforum to attend a demo explaining how the packaging concepts discovered the day before worked and what advantages they could bring in various situations. Cryovac Simple Steps®, n’Oven ®, CRYOVAC BDF® packaging solutions were presented and explained by Sidi Chouikhi, Sealed Air Technical Director Global Ready Meals. Following this presentation, participants could attend live packaging demos in the large Packforum equipment hall.