Instore - December 2018 - 38

PRODUCT CATEGORY SPOTLIGHT

Prepared entrees

est and we see a lot of growth there. People
are always looking for new and interesting
items."

hink of the hottest current trends when
it comes to the fresh perimeter: betterfor-you, cleaner labels, bold flavors, ethnic
foods, fresh takes on classic items.

Ontario, California-based Five Star Gourmet Foods has taken notice of these trends,
both with its fully prepared entrees and
its MiniMeals2Go line. The line includes
items like Asian Cashew salad, Sriracha
BBQ with Chicken, Mediterranean Falafel
+ Hummus, Artichoke Dip + Genoa Salami,
Thai Noodle Salad, and Honey Ginger Veggie Stir Fry.

All of those trends have impacted breads,
side dishes, salads, cheeses and more.

Bold flavors can also be incorporated into
time-tested classics.

Their impact on prepared entrees - the
centerpiece of nearly every meal - is even
more dramatic.

"There is a fair amount of infusion with staples like mac'n'cheese," Stack says. "That's
still one of the homestyle favorites for
many age demographics, but we're doing
different things with flavor profiles within
those classics."

by Ryan Atkinson

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"All of the current trends around food in
general are definitely in line with what is
big in prepared entrees," says Jonathan
Stack, president of Baltimore-based Fresh
Creative Cuisine, a supplier of cuisine to go
and prepared foods programs. "Our products anchor the meal, and consumers want
that flavor and healthfulness or bold indulgence in the main course."

"Fresh is fresh. That's the challenge.
It can't be perceived to have been
on the shelf for a long time."
JONATHAN STACK, FRESH CREATIVE CUISINE

Fresh Creative would know. The company
produces fully-cooked, heat-and-eat style
entrees. Its stable of products ranges from
a core line of signature salads and entrees
to fresh fruit and parfaits, snacks, sides,
customizable boxed lunches, breakfast
items and desserts.

Bolder can be better
Like many other foods, new and exciting
flavors are key in prepared entrees right
now. Stack says there is a continued interest in the global and ethnic cuisine styles
- think Mediterranean, Asian, Indian and
other ethnic foods.
"You also see a lot of different things and
new flavor profiles coming from South
American and Latino-style products," he
says. "There's definitely a continued inter-

38 * DECEMBER 2018 * commissary INSIDER

Think bold sauces like Sriracha or Caribbean spices, or unexpected proteins added
where chicken or beef typically exists.
"You still have the base product that everyone is used to,
but you're seeing chorizo
and other ethnic and global
profiles mixed in with it as
well," Stack says. "I think
the key is to continuously
put a lot innovation from a
culinary standpoint."
Those bold and savory
flavors are also typically a bigger hit with
consumers
during
this time of the year
- starting with early
fall and continuing
through the cold winter months.
"The big things we
see in terms of cyclical trends is that going into spring and
summer, lighter fare
like chicken and fish,
as opposed to heavier
pastas and things like
that, are very popular,"
Stack says. "And then,
as you go into fall and
Instore - December 2018

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