Demand for ready-to-cook food products is growing globally due to their convenience in preparation, helping people with minimal culinary skills to easily put together a meal as well as those with very little time to spend in the kitchen.
Processed food comes under the convenience food category due to various incremental factors such as less preparation time, reduced planning, and easy buying and storing of ingredients.
Revenue in the convenience food segment reached $31.84 billion (Dh116.93 billion) in 2022. According to industry forecasts, global convenience food market is set to grow at the rate of 5.6 per cent from 2022 to reach $3.12 trillion by 2028.
Convenience food today has assumed greater significance due to their extended shelf life driven by changes in the production process, less prep time and for being user friendly. With the onset of the latest processing techniques, convenience foods will have a greater say in the years to come.
The ready-to-cook food processing segment will play a pivotal role in the future due to a shift in consumer preference towards products that are easy and quick to make.
The pandemic forced food distributors to shift to online platforms, which have opened up huge opportunities for the ready-to-cook segment.
The ready-to-cook food products segment is also steadily growing and it is expected to reach $250.31 million by 2029.
Rising awareness of healthy lifestyle and protein-based diets has fuelled demand for chicken and poultry products, which in turn has created new opportunities for food processors like Gourmet Foods.
“We have a wide range of ready-to-cook products such as calibrated chicken breast, chicken burgers, chicken zingers, chicken nuggets, chicken fillets, chicken tandoori tikka, samosas and cooked parathas,” says Afzal Basheer, Managing Partner.
Along with advanced processing technology, greater efficiency in packaging methods and availability of improved packaging materials have further contributed to the growth of the ready-to-cook food processing segment.
“We, at Gourmet Foods, are looking to explore more opportunities in the ready-to-cook segment and come up with new ranges in the future,” says Basheer.
