Chilled Ready Meals Research Articles

Meal preparation behaviour and obesity: time spent cooking in the Czech Republic

PurposeThe objective of this explorative study was to analyse the association of socio-economic factors and attitudes towards cooking with the time devoted to home meals cooking in the Czech Republic. Furthermore, the authors tested and analysed data to see if there is any relationship between the time devoted to cooking by respondents and obesity.Design/methodology/approachThe sample data consisted of 1,006 inhabitants’ subjects selected using the quota sampling following the structure of the population structure. Ordinary least squares (OLS) regressions were estimated to analyse factors influencing the time spent in the preparation of meals at home. The correlation between time devoted to cooking by respondents and obesity was addressed using the Kruskal–Wallis test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA).FindingsThe results showed that female gender, higher age, smaller household size and presence of children increased the time spent by respondents in the preparation of home-cooked meals. Home cooking is perceived as a tastier option compared to, for example, chilled ready meals. The time devoted to cooking by respondents and her/his above average weight are correlated in our study.Originality/valueTo the authors’ knowledge, no recent study has comprehensively analysed cooking behaviour and time spent cooking in the post-Soviet countries, including the Czech Republic. The authors’ quota-representative study provided relevant insights into eating behaviour, as the Czech Republic has faced a high increase in the obesity rates in the last decade.

Growth of Ready Meals in Australian Supermarkets: Nutrient Composition, Price and Serving Size.

Pre-prepared, or ready meals (frozen, chilled and shelf-stable) are increasingly available in supermarkets in developed countries. This study aimed to investigate how the range of ready meals in Australian supermarkets has changed from 2014 to 2020, and how products vary by price, serving size, nutrient composition and Health Star Rating. Product information was obtained from the FoodTrack™ packaged food database for the years 2014 to 2019 and from an instore audit of products available in Adelaide, Australia for 2020. There was a 13% annual average increase in the number of ready meals available in supermarkets. Serving size did not change (median 350 g, p-trend = 0.100) and price increased modestly from 2014 to 2020 (median $1.67 to $1.79/100 g, p-trend < 0.001), with chilled ready meals being the most expensive. A modest decrease in sodium density from 2014 to 2020 (median 275 to 240 mg/100 g, p-trend < 0.001) was seen. However, the category has a wide range in Health Star Ratings and nutrient composition, highlighting the importance of appropriate consumer choice to optimise health benefits. With the increasing availability of ready meals, global improvements within this category should be encouraged and consumers guided to choose healthier products.

Impact of Increased Consumption of Ready to Eat Meals on the Scottish Supply Chains: Input-Output Analysis

Ready meals contribute to the economic performance of the UK economy. However, in 2020, demand declined due to the COVID-19 pandemic; chilled ready meals declined by 3.6 per cent but frozen and ambient ready meals grew by 10.1 per cent and 5.6 per cent, respectively. This has implications for the national economy. The purpose of this paper is to assess the implications of this increase/decrease on the entire Scottish economy. We rely on the latest Input-Output (IO) table (2017) from the Scottish government for our analysis. For this, the study disaggregates the original IO table sector ‘Other food products’ into ‘Other food products’ and the ‘Ready meals’ sector. We simulate the impacts of increase/decrease in demand for ready meals produced in Scotland on the entire Scottish economy. The changes were based on annual sales growth from 2017 to 2020. Results indicate that increased demand for ready meals produced in Scotland will expand all sectors of the economy, with the greatest impact on the ready meals (8.65 per cent) and other food products sectors (2.13 per cent). Changes in agricultural output were between 0.01 – 0.02 per cent.

Effect of Variation in Food Components and Composition on the Antimicrobial Activity of Oregano and Clove Essential Oils in Broth and in a Reformulated Reduced Salt Vegetable Soup Product

&lt;p&gt;The objective of this study was to determine and quantify the influence of various food components (carbohydrates, fat, protein or NaCl contents) or chemical properties (pH, water activity levels) on the antimicrobial efficacy of oregano and clove essential oils (EOs). Growth of &lt;em&gt;Listeria innocua&lt;/em&gt; or &lt;em&gt;Escherichia coli&lt;/em&gt; treated with oregano or clove EOs was monitored following separate addition of various food components. Antimicrobial activity of EOs was enhanced in presence of NaCl (? 0.5 g/100 ml), or in media with low pH values (? 5.0), especially when adjusted with organic acids. Enhanced antimicrobial activity was observed following reduction in water activity, which appeared related to the nature of solute used. Antibacterial activity of EOs was reduced in presence of vegetable oil (? 1 ml/100 ml), protein (? 1 g/100 ml) or starch (? 10 g/100 ml).&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;Based on data obtained, the composition of vegetable soup was altered to optimise the efficacy of EOs, by lowering the pH to 5.0 using citric acid. A combination of oregano EO and acidification appeared to control growth of &lt;em&gt;L. innocua&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;E. coli&lt;/em&gt; during storage at 4 or 10&lt;sup&gt; &lt;/sup&gt;ºC. Thus, reformulation treatments including EO addition should be considered to improve the shelf-life of chilled ready meals.&lt;/p&gt;

Environmental contamination of ready meals by polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)

The level of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) contamination in ready meals was investigated to determine exposure compared to other foodstuffs. Chilled ready meals from nine categories (ambient, Chinese, Indian, Traditional UK, Italian, American Tex-Mex, Vegetarian and Organic), and three samples within each category were Soxhlet extracted in triplicate with hexane for 24 h, followed by a clean-up on deactivated silica gel. The cleaned extracts were concentrated to 1 ml under N2 gas and analyzed on gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) for 7 target PCBs (congeners 28, 52, 101, 118, 153, 138, and 180). Individual congener concentrations ranged from non-detectable to 0.40 ng g−1 (wet weight). The cumulative concentration of all congeners (ΣPCBs) ranged between 0.20 and 1.00 ng g−1 (wet weight). These values translate into exposure levels of less than 1 μg kg−1day−1 for reference men and women of 70 and 57 kg, respectively. This preliminary study demonstrates that ready meals, like many other foods, are contaminated by PCBs and may represent an important route of human exposure given contemporary changes in consumer food choice. Even though low levels of contamination were observed, long-term exposure for population groups consuming a high volume of ready meals may have cause for concern regarding chronic health risks.

Sodium and ready meals: a survey of Irish consumer awareness

AbstractThe aim of the study was to gain an understanding of Irish consumer attitudes towards ready meals and current sodium issues in Ireland. A questionnaire was distributed to 357 consumers via convenience quota sampling to a range of nationalities in both rural and urban/city areas of Ireland. The survey revealed that a high proportion of respondents (45%; n = 161) were worried about the amount of salt they consumed. Despite this, 58% (n = 207) stated they never look at the sodium/salt contents on nutritional labels with 68% (n = 244) claiming that sodium/salt contents would never affect their buying choice. The survey also uncovered that 76% (n = 270) of the Irish consumers surveyed consider ready meals to be high in sodium and 80% (n = 285) consider them to be an unhealthy option. Despite this, 50% (n = 179) of the respondents consumed a ready meal at least once a week with a further 17% (n = 59) consuming them two to three times a week. Of those who did consume ready meals, 78% (n = 191) chose them due to their convenience. A total of 75% (n = 269) of all the respondents said they would choose a chilled ready meal over its frozen counterpart. The reason for this being attributed to the fact that chilled ready meals were perceived to be healthier (44%; n = 158) and of better quality (54%; n = 194) than their frozen counterparts. Results from this study highlight the need for concerted actions involving consumers, manufacturers and retailers to reduce sodium levels in Irish ready meals, as despite being reasonably aware of the sodium issue consumers were not making informed choices to reduce sodium/salt consumption.

Understanding consumers’ cognitive structures with regard to high pressure processing: A means-end chain application to the chilled ready meals category

Although new process technologies can potentially offer superior competitive advantages in the marketplace, they can also represent a high-risk effort for those manufacturers that ignore consumers’ needs and value systems during the new product development (NPD) process. The overall aim of the study was to gain insights into consumers’ cognitions with regard to high pressure processed chilled ready meals. In-depth one-to-one laddering interviews based on means-end chain theory were conducted in-home with 40 purchasers of chilled ready meals. The research showed that consumers were generally receptive towards the concept of high pressure processed chilled ready meals. However, perceived food safety risks related to low awareness levels of the technology, coupled with misconceptions regarding the influence of high pressure processing (HPP) on elements of eating quality represented significant barriers to consumer acceptance. Hierarchical value maps (HVM) revealed important insights into the motivational cognitive structures of specific consumer segments with important implications for the technical development and strategic marketing of high pressure processed foods.

The microbiological quality of commercial herb and spice preparations used in the formulation of a chicken supreme ready meal and microbial survival following a simulated industrial heating process

The microbiological status of thirty herb and spice preparations used in the manufacture of ready meals was determined. The effect of a simulated manufacturing process with subsequent cold storage was evaluated on spices having highest microbial loads either suspended in water, or added to a ready meal. Total aerobic mesophilic bacteria count indicated that 20% of the spices had >6 log CFU/g. Spore-forming bacteria and thermophiles (2–6 log CFU/g) were detected in 80% of samples. Pseudomonas spp. and Enterobacteriaceae (2–6 log CFU/g) were detected in 33% or 23% of spices, respectively. Molds were detected in 50% of samples (1–3 log CFU/g), while yeasts were detected in two samples only. Bacillus cereus was detected only in samples of marjoram. The simulated manufacturing treatment with subsequent cold storage indicated a degree of bacterial survival with a possible protective effect of the food matrix. Overall, the heat processing steps applied during manufacture of chilled ready meals may not always be sufficient to eliminate the indigenous microflora especially in spices of poor microbiological quality.

Consumer acceptance of high pressure processed beef-based chilled ready meals: The mediating role of food-related lifestyle factors

The aim of this research was to investigate the effects of high pressure processing (HPP) on consumer acceptance for chilled ready meals manufactured using a low-value beef cut. Three hundred consumers evaluated chilled ready meals subjected to 4 pressure treatments and a non-treated control monadically on a 9-point scale for liking for beef tenderness and juiciness, overall flavour, overall liking, and purchase intent. Data were also collected on consumers' food consumption patterns, their attitudes towards food by means of the reduced food-related lifestyle (FRL) instrument, and socio-demographics. The results indicated that a pressure treatment of 200 MPa was acceptable to most consumers. K-means cluster analysis identified 4 consumer groups with similar preferences, and the optimal pressure treatments acceptable to specific consumer groups were identified for those firms that would wish to target attitudinally differentiated consumer segments.

Penetration of nutrition information on food labels across the EU-27 plus Turkey

Objectives:The European Union (EU)-funded project Food Labelling to Advance Better Education for Life (FLABEL) aims to understand how nutrition information on food labels affects consumers' dietary choices and shopping behaviour. The first phase of this study consisted of assessing the penetration of nutrition labelling and related information on various food products in all 27 EU Member States and Turkey.Methods:In each country, food products were audited in three different types of retailers to cover as many different products as possible within five food and beverage categories: sweet biscuits, breakfast cereals, pre-packed chilled ready meals, carbonated soft drinks and yoghurts.Results:More than 37 000 products were audited in a total of 84 retail stores. On average, 85% of the products contained back-of-pack (BOP) nutrition labelling or related information (from 70% in Slovenia to 97% in Ireland), versus 48% for front-of-pack (FOP) information (from 24% in Turkey to 82% in the UK). The most widespread format was the BOP tabular or linear listing of nutrition content. Guideline daily amounts labelling was the most prevalent form of FOP information, showing an average penetration of 25% across all products audited. Among categories, breakfast cereals showed the highest penetration of nutrition-related information, with 94% BOP penetration and 70% FOP penetration.Conclusions:Nutrition labelling and related information was found on a large majority of products audited. These findings provide the basis for subsequent phases of FLABEL involving attention, reading, liking, understanding and use by consumers of different nutrition labelling formats.

A test procedure to characterise the heating performance of domestic microwave ovens

SummaryA test procedure has been developed and used to characterise the performance of domestic microwave ovens in relation to the heating of chilled ready meals. The procedure uses reproducible test loads, which simulate the heating and weight loss characteristics of a chilled ready meal under consumer use. The temperature distribution after heating from 5 °C to a defined minimum temperature of 70 °C is measured in the food simulant using a purpose designed multipoint thermocouple ‘hedgehog’ probe. The temperature, weight loss and heating time data from the test are entered into a spreadsheet analysis program, which provides a simple oven performance ‘score’ and/or comprehensive heating performance data.

Effect of power output reduction of domestic microwave ovens after continuous (intermittent) use on food temperature after reheating

The domestic microwave oven is now commonplace in the home and is often used to reheat chilled ready meals. Previous studies by the authors have demonstrated that the power output of such ovens can drop significantly within the first few minutes of use. This study has demonstrated that this power output reduction can have a significant affect on the expected final food temperatures after heating. A reproducible procedure was used to carry out heating tests of simulated chilled ready meals in 16 different models of domestic microwave ovens. All of the test loads had lower minimum measured temperatures (mean of three replicates) after heating in the hot ovens (ovens that had been in use for 15 min prior to the heating test) compared to when they were heated for the same time in the cold ovens (ovens that had not been used for ⩾6 h). Minimum measured temperatures fell from a mean of 70.3 °C in the cold ovens to mean of 61.3 °C (range 50.3–67.6 °C) in the hot ovens. In 12 out of the 16 ovens (75%) these reductions in minimum temperature were statistically significant ( P ⩽ 0.05). There is an increased risk in terms of the potential for survival of bacteria such as Listeria monocytogenes when reheating food products to these lower temperatures. It was evident that at the minimum temperatures attained in the food simulant test loads heated in all the hot microwave ovens, the heat treatment would be insufficient to produce a 10 6 reduction of L. monocytogenes even allowing for an acceptable standing time.

A responsive demand management framework for the minimization of waste in convenience food manufacture

Convenience food manufacture generates considerable waste through poor planning of production. This problem is particularly acute for products that have a very short shelf-life and will be disposed of as waste should their shelf life expire. Chilled ready-meals are convenience foods with relatively short shelf-lives and volatile consumer demands; their manufacture is based on forecasted volumes and when demand has been over-predicted, considerable wastes are created. This is referred to as overproduction waste (OPW), which typically sees finished products disposed of through commercial waste channels as a result of lack of demand. The research reported in this paper has investigated the generation of a responsive demand management framework for the reduction of OPWs.

An integrated sensory study of selected chilled lasagne ready meals

AbstractThe research combined quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA) trained panel (n = 10) and consumer acceptance testing (n = 106) to better identify the sensory characteristics that were particularly influential in determining consumer choice of a range of eight chilled lasagne products. Significant differences were found between the samples, with potential for further sensory improvement. Three distinctive consumer segments were established, each with particular demographic characteristics and associated product preferences. External preference mapping confirmed that attributes pertaining to the quality of the meat sauce element, vegetable inclusion and cheese flavour had the greatest influence on consumer preferences. While not without some limitations, the study confirmed that an integrated research approach offered a more detailed explanation of consumer acceptance of chilled ready meals, to assist in better identifying and optimizing product development opportunities in the marketplace. There is scope for further study of more complex food products (such as ready meals) than has been the case in the past.

Factors affecting consumer acceptance of chilled ready meals on the island of Ireland

AbstractThe chilled ready meal market on the island of Ireland is relatively young but is growing rapidly. This paper focused on a consumer questionnaire (n = 702), designed to examine consumer attitudes to and consumption of chilled ready meals, in both the north and south of Ireland. This formed part of a larger study, with the questionnaire findings contributing to an in‐depth sensory study on a selected range of chilled ready meals. For a significant number of Irish consumers, consumption of these products is higher than on the UK mainland. For others, the products are purchased as a convenient alternative or a weekly treat. Respondents in urban locations were significantly more likely to consume chilled ready meals, as were men and younger, single respondents. Irish consumers are becoming more accustomed to ethnic cuisine although traditional meals remain popular. There is a clear need for developers to continue to enhance the sensory quality of these products, particularly as the primary barrier to consumption was a preference for home cooked food. However, they must also strive to maintain consumer interest in the sector, fulfil the desire for convenience and satisfy a more discerning palate.

The perils of processed herbs and spices

In recent years, consumer demand has very much been for fresh quality food at the point of delivery. An explosion in the range of processed foods available in the supermarket chiller cabinet has occurred to meet this demand. Chilled ready meals, pizzas, speciality sausages and other small goods all have to live up to consumer expectations of visual appearance, flavour and eating quality, whilst safely achieving a commercially acceptable shelf‐life. All these products contain one common flavouring ingredient, which can severely limit the time a food item can remain on display in the chiller cabinet – herbs and spices. This paper discusses the various strategies and processes currently in use to reduce the microbial loads of herbs and spices to acceptable levels, including improved agricultural methods product selection, irradiation, heat treatment, flavour extraction through steam distillation, and micro encapsulation.

The chilled ready meal market in Northern Ireland

The chilled ready meal market in Northern Ireland

The retailing environment in Ireland and its effect on the chilled ready meal market

AbstractFood retailing in the island of Ireland has experienced a number of changes with the relatively recent arrival of the UK multiples. This preliminary study examined retailing developments in Ireland focusing on the chilled ready meal sector and on an identification of the factors that influence chilled food choice. Interviews, supermarket analysis, consumer focus groups and questionnaires revealed that the chilled ready meal market was experiencing a period of growth assisted by the arrival of the UK multiples, but there was great potential to further expand the market. Convenience was cited as the primary reason for purchase of chilled ready meals but taste continued to play an important role in chilled food choice. Retailers must respond by informing and educating consumers about their product offerings. In addition, they must listen to the unique needs and wants of consumers on this island to assist in the development and provision of a range of chilled ready meals suitable for the Irish market‐place.

The retailing environment in Ireland and its effect on the chilled ready meal market

The retailing environment in Ireland and its effect on the chilled ready meal market

The management of subcontracted networks as an alternative to internalisation: the shift from the standardised to the specialised in frozen and chilled foods

This paper highlights the management of subcontracted networks as alternatives to internalisation. The contrasting examples of the UK frozen food and chilled ready meals sectors are examined to understand different nature of economic relationships in these sectors. The paper examines the shift in the role of the firm from producer, to the firm as co–ordinator of information flows. In contrast to the vertically integrated frozen food sector, the chilled food industry is retailer led, co–ordinated by the direct management of inter–organisational network relationships. The sector manifests plural organisational forms, with trust based inter–organisational networks and arms–length subcontracting.