From Our Print Edition

High-quality multi-serve Dinner & Entrees lead the way as consumers look for convenient ways to feed their families.

[hr]

Stuck at home with limited alternatives to restaurant dining, consumers continued to warm up to frozen dinners and entrees. Compared with the same period a year ago, dollar sales shot up 22.9% to $2.65 billion across channels during the 12 weeks ended May 17, according to Chicago-based market research firm IRI (iriworldwide.com). Not surprisingly, multi-serve dinners (+32.2%) significantly outperformed single-serves (+11.6%).

New cauliflower bowls from Atkins delivers at least 16 grams of protein and no more than 7 grams of net carbs.

“As people sheltered at home with their family and friends, there has been a significant increase in demand for multi-serve dinners,” confirms Lisa Larkin, category manager for Sovos Brands, Berkeley, Calif. In fact, sales of the company’s Michael Angelo’s (michaelangelos.com) multi-serve dinners are up 44% versus a year ago. The trend began before COVID-19, but the pandemic accelerated it, she says.

Single-serve bowls remain popular, along with both comfort foods and globally inspired dishes. However, consumers appear to be losing interest in what some manufacturers call the “negatives” associated with dieting, preferring a positive approach that promotes healthy eating instead of weight loss. Lean Cuisine’s Comfort and Marketplace brands were down 5.8% and 18.8%, respectively, during the most recent 12 weeks, and Weight Watchers Smart Ones fell 17.9%. The Atkins low-carb brand dipped, too, midway through the pandemic, but it bounced back because the keto diet is enduring, says John Pawloski, vp of marketing and innovation at Minneapolis-based parent company Bellisio Foods (bellisiofoods.com).

Atkins is introducing new cauliflower bowls – Cheesy Chicken Risotto, Asian-style Chicken Stir Fry, and Mongolian Beef – with a lighter cauliflower base for a maximum 7 grams of carbs per serving.

To keep up with evolving consumer demand, Nestlé is tweaking its eponymous Lean Cuisine (leancuisine.com) collection with 18 new bowls in flavors such as Korean-Style Rice & Vegetables and Spicy Baja-Style Chicken. In addition, it just introduced a new brand, Life Cuisine, targeting consumer preferences in four areas: low-carb, high protein, meatless, and gluten-free. And Happi Foodi (happifoodi.com), Nutley, N.J., is introducing three new keto bowls, one breakfast and two lunch/dinner (Beef, 3-Cheese & Eggplant Lasagna and Shepherd’s Style Pie with Beef), which will debut at Walmart in August.

CONVENIENCE, PRICE & HEALTH KEY

Convenience and healthy eating at a reasonable price are driving consumer purchases as they cook at home more during the COVID pandemic, manufacturers say.

Happi Foodi will debut three new low-carb, high protein keto bowls at Walmart next month.

“More time at home does not necessarily mean more time to cook – especially when families must now divide their time between working, schooling, and parenting from home in addition to getting every meal on the table each day!” says Ashley Lind, director of consumer insights at Chicago-based Conagra.

Fortunately, “People have realized that frozen foods are not only convenient, but they can be healthy and affordable, too,” says Matt Cohen, CEO at New York-based Kidfresh (kidfresh.com). The company, which produces healthy, kid-friendly foods, recently launched two veggie pasta products – one with marinara and the other with cheese sauce – that blend cauliflower into the pasta flour.

Globally inspired and restaurant-brand entrees also continue to grab interest, says Conagra’s Lind, citing “explosive growth” by P.F. Chang’s (pfchangshomemenu.com) multi-serve meals (+92.7%, according to IRI). The brand recently entered the single-serve segment as well, debuting four new ramen bowls (Pork Shoyu, Chicken Tokotsu, Spicy Chicken Miso and Veggie Shoyu).

Manufacturers say authenticity is key in the global category. That’s why Petaluma, Calif.-based Amy’s (amys.com) goes to such lengths to get flavors and textures right, says vp of sales Justin Neal. The company is rolling out several new globally-themed entrees, including gluten-free, Indian-inspired Vegetable Pakoras, Greek-inspired Red Rice and Veggies, Mexican-inspired Veggies and Black Beans, and Moroccan-inspired Vegetable Tagine. Neal says Mediterranean influences are a growth area of the global entrée segment and are reflected in two of the new products.

Bellisio is jumping on the ethnic trend, too, introducing new Eating Well noodle bowls (Sesame Beef & Broccoli, Chicken Lo Mein, Sun Dried Tomato Chicken and Yellow Curry Chicken) that are expected to improve the brand’s standing among both millennials and health and wellness consumers. Transparency around content and ingredients is part of the pitch, so packaging features a transparent window.

REBRAND AND GET COMFORTABLE

Chico, Calif.-based Cali’flour Foods (califlourfoods.com), which introduced new entrees earlier this year, is rebranding with a new logo and packaging featuring prominent low-carb nutrition info. Pie charts on package backs now show the percent of calories by macronutrient (fat, carbs, protein), and a new tagline – “Simple Fresh Ingredients” – drives its message home. Cali’flour also sees an opportunity to “reinvent high-carb comfort foods with low-carb alternatives” as people seek healthier choices, says Pat Hughes, chief marketing officer.

The “comfort food” category has been strong during the pandemic, thanks to the emotional connection customers have to food they ate when they were growing up. It’s not necessarily even a taste memory, says Neal of Amy’s, but a connection to the past.

Given its brand promise of “simple, tasty comfort food at an amazing value,” it comes as no surprise that the Michelina’s brand is “on fire for us,” according to Pawloski of Bellisio Foods. Its Boston Market brand also continues to do well, but the company is expanding on its traditional meat loaf/Salisbury steak/mac and cheese offerings with some new items, including its first bowls: Pulled Chicken with BBQ Sauce and Slow-Cooked Beef with Red Potatoes. It’s also debuting several Carver’s Cuts premium meat selections, such as a Roadhouse Beef Meatloaf with potato wedges. Bellisio sees marketing meat content as increasingly important, as many consumers assign a high value to protein.

PLANT-BASED GROWTH TO CONTINUE

Even so, the plant-based segment will continue to grow, says Todd Schmidt, director of sales at Request Foods (requestfoods.com) a largely private label manufacturer in Holland, Mich.

“I also feel that plant-based products will have their niche regardless of what happens with meat supplies,” he says. And while comfort food has a following, so do new products, especially those geared toward the palates of millennials and others who want new eating experiences, he adds.

While new product introductions have been slowed by the pandemic, “as things loosen up with COVID, we should see new product activity picking up again,” he says.

FROZEN DINNERS & ENTREES

Sales in supermarkets, drugstores, mass merchants, military commissaries and select club and dollar stores combined for the 12 weeks ended May 17, according to Chicago-based market research firm IRI (iriworldwide.com). Percent change is versus the same period a year ago.

[hr]

View PDF

[hr]