CHICKEN
CONVENIENCE
Worldwide poultry production sits at a colossal 111,000 thousand tonnes a
year and it’s predicted to increase by 24% over the next decade. There’s no
doubt that poultry is a staple…but how is this traditional industry shifting to
fulfil modern day food demands? Here, food packaging manufacturer Advanta
hatches a plan to use innovative packaging to fulfil the convenience and shelflife
demands of today’s poultry industry.
Convenience is a key
driver in changing
what is on the
supermarket shelves.
This is reflected by
the increase of pre-marinated,
ready-to-cook chicken products,
which consumers can put straight
in the oven without mess or fuss.
This reliance on convenient food
products is not limited to the
Western world, but is a trend that’s
rising across North America, Europe
and Australasia.
Globally, ready-meals and
convenience foods are continually
on the rise, especially in rapidly
urbanising economies such as
South Asia, with increased adoption
of packaged food products into
new consumer markets. In 2017,
Western Europe saw the packaged
food market grow by 1.5%,
compared with a rise of 1.15% in
the United States.
Despite a reduction of red
meat consumption worldwide,
the consumption of chicken is
continuing to grow. However, the
industry is experiencing a shift in the
types of products consumers are
demanding. Today’s consumers are
replacing traditional products with
newer concepts — think marinated
wings, pre-marinated wings and
ready-to-cook whole poultry.
Packaging matters
There’s no denying the growing
demand for packaged food, but
what does this mean for the poultry
distributors, wholesalers or meal
developers? Put simply, poultry
packaging requires a rethink.
Regardless of the quality or
desirability of a product, packaging
can have a significant impact on
whether the customer will make
the purchase. This is particularly
relevant for whole poultry. Generally
speaking, today’s consumers don’t
want to touch the chicken before
it is cooked — which they have
had to do with traditional plastic
bag packaging. Again, it’s about
convenience.
By manufacturing pre-marinated
poultry products in an oven-proof
tray, the consumer experiences
minimal fuss as they move their
meal from fridge, to oven, to table.
This is a luxury associated firmly
with aluminium packaging.
Cook-in
engineering
For consumers, trays that allow
poultry to be cooked directly in their
packaging means that cooking is a
fuss-free affair, but this method also
has advantages for logistics. Robust
foil trays allow sleeves and cartons
to be lightweighted, reducing the
POULTRY SHIFT
42 FEBRUARY 2019