HMR Offerings Come Full Cycle As Frozens Make Comeback

By Judy Rice, Contributing Writer

Introduced in 1954, frozen TV dinners in compartmented aluminum foil trays were the original "home meal replacement" products. Over time, as packaging material technologies advanced, some of these products were shifted into ovenable paperboard, then ovenable plastic trays. But it was not until the late 1980s and the emergence of commercial application of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) technologies for individual retail-size prepared meals, that any of these products began to find their way from the freezer to the refrigerator.

Modified atmosphere packaging generally involves depositing the product into a gas-barrier container, evacuating the package of air, and then back-flushing with a gas or gas mixture that best accommodates shelf-life preservation for the particular product. Nitrogen, carbon dioxide and oxygen combinations are typically used for food applications. The sealed packages then need to be maintained in a refrigerated environment where they can enjoy an extended shelf life.

In the current retail marketplace, MAP is used for a range of home meal replacement-type products from prepared salads to multi-component pre-cooked meals. These products are having success because they offer freshly prepared, quickly reheatable meal convenience. But MAP is neither an easy nor inexpensive technology to apply commercially. MAP can be tricky. The processor must begin with high-quality raw product, follow strict sanitation practices, ensure a proper match between the product/package/gas, and use highly reliable packaging equipment. Then there's the critical need for proper, closely monitored time and temperature controls during product distribution. Precise adherence to shelf pull dates also is crucial.

Opting for Frozens
Particularly in terms of distribution and marketing time and the associated food safety concerns, frozen technologies offer processors more leeway. Some virulent strains of microbial contaminants can live and multiply at refrigerated temperatures, if the packaging has been kept too long or its integrity otherwise compromised. There also are some cost advantages to purchasing and operating packaging equipment for frozen vs. MAP meals. So, it shouldn't come as any surprise that some food processors who market home meal replacement products are harkening back to the roots of the category and opting for the frozen alternative.

Among recent cases in point, the Nestlé USA Food Division (Solon, OH) launched Stouffer's and Stouffer's Lean Cuisine frozen Skillet Sensations in September 1998. It is interesting to note that Nestlé was a leader in pioneering MAP refrigerated pasta salads and entrees — including lasagna, seafood fettucini and chicken Mexicali — for the U.S. marketplace under the now defunct "FreshNes" banner in the late 1980s. So the company has an experienced history with modified atmosphere-packed prepared products.

Packaged in barrier plastic bowls with barrier film lidding and nested in open-face paperboard cartons, the FreshNes products had estimated 12-14 days of refrigerated shelf life. As Rosalyn O'Hearn, director of the food and brand affairs division for Nestlé commented, "The FreshNes venture in the late 1980s was a limited experiment. We tested products in Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio. The products were high-quality. But at that time there were some difficult issues with managing efficient delivery and sale of relatively short-shelf-life foods."

O'Hearn went on to say that Nestlé learned a lot from the experience, and the company still believes in the marketing viability of refrigerated MAP products. "They have an important niche, just as frozen prepared foods do. Nestlé is committed to providing top-quality products for both the frozen and refrigerated home meal replacement categories. For example, our Contadina-Buitoni refrigerated MAP-packed, mix-and-match pastas in trays and sauces in tubs are doing well. And while, these products are marketed in refrigerated form, they can be frozen to extend in-home storage life."

For mix-and-match convenience and versatility, Nestlé's Contadina-Buitoni fresh refrigerated pastas and sauces are packaged and marketed separately.

The Contadina-Buitoni fresh MAP pastas are being marketed both in single-serving and family-size packages. The extensive line includes a gamut of pasta types, from angel hair and spinach fettucine, to mozzarella and pepperoni tortelloni, and roasted chicken and garlic ravioli. Likewise, the sauce offerings are diverse, ranging from pesto with sun-dried tomatoes to mushroom alfredo, and served in single and multi-serve tubs.

Standup Horizontal Pouch
The new frozen Skillet Sensations, which are being produced in the facility that used to house the FreshNes operations, are multiple-serving products, which lend well to pouch packaging. The film pouch, 24- or 25-oz depending upon product variety, is unique in that it is a horizontal stand-up package. The package design enables large shelf facings in the refrigerated display case. Some 14 different precooked varieties are being marketed, including Homestyle Beef with roasted potatoes and vegetables in a savory sauce under the Stouffer's brand, and Chicken Primavera with white-meat chicken, pasta and vegetables in a parmesan glaze under the Stouffer's Lean Cuisine brand. The gusset-bottomed bags are formed from preprinted rollstock and filled and sealed in-plant.

Unlike many HMR products, Skillet Sensations are not intended for microwave reheating. As the name implies, consumers are instructed to empty the bag contents into a skillet for heating.

Another new HMR entry is Easy Beginnings from Advance Food Co. (Enid, OK). The company is offering both pouch-packed chicken breast filets and microwaveable tray-packed chicken breast slices. The fully cooked and seasoned products can be eaten alone or be combined in stir fry, salad, pasta, fajita or other recipes. Included in the flavor line are Barbecue, Teriyaki, Fajita, Southwestern, Garlic & Herb and Grilled.

The 24-oz/8-serving recloseable pouches are designed to be shipped and displayed in frozen form. The 12-oz/4-serving tray packs are designed to be shipped frozen and displayed in the refrigerator case. The trays are not modified atmosphere-packed, but have an estimated 15-day refrigerated shelf life. Easy Beginnings are expected to be in full national distribution by this summer.

Advance Food Co. uses form/fill/seal machinery from Triangle Package Machinery Co., (Chicago) to produce the pouched products at the processor's plant in Caryville, TN. For its trayed chicken slices, the company uses black plastic trays from Lin-Pac (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) and anti-fog lidding film from Cryovac (Duncan, SC).

Advanced Food Co. is offering Easy Beginnings chicken filets for freezer cases and chicken slices for refrigerated display.

Asked why Advance Food opted to produce both frozen pouched and refrigerated trayed offerings, retail marketing director Rob McLaughlin said, "Our research shows there are two groups of consumers: those that prefer frozen and those that prefer refrigerated foods. In addition, retailer shelf space is at a premium. Often retailers have limited shelf space in either the refrigerated or frozen sections. So we believe we can give Easy Beginnings its best chance of success by providing products that can be displayed where the available space is — whether that be in the freezer or in the refrigerated display area. If the store has frozen space, we offer the pouch pack. If the store has refrigerator space, we offer the tray."

It is this opportunity to capitalize on both the refrigerated and frozen food markets that is a primary driver behind companies' expanding to frozen home meal replacement options.

For more information:
Triangle Package Machinery, Tel: 800-621-4170, Fax: 773-889-4221
Lin-Pac, Tel: 954-489-2991, Fax: 954-489-0512
Cryovac, Sealed Air Corp., Tel: 800-845-7551, Fax: 864-433-2134