Ready to eat food industry thrives during pandemic

January goes on and Lithuanians have returned to the rhythm of remote work and education. Quarantine made people look for more diverse tastes. In order to save time, they are choosing already prepared lunches.

According to Vaida Budrienė, the communications manager of the IKI retail chain, the growing demand for ready-made lunch sets has been observed throughout the pandemic period. Sales in 2020 January-November increased by almost 30 percent, compared to the same period in 2019.

Data shows that the lunch kit category became popular within the population with the closure of offices and schools. When one needs to work from home, as well as help children participate in distance learning, there is no time for cooking. Therefore, to save time, people choose an alternative solution – lunch sets. It is also convenient that these products can be purchased in portions as well as in family packaging. This is useful when the whole family stays home. 

Buyers choose a wider variety of flavors

According to the head of communication at “IKI”, in order to respond to the increased demand, the category of lunch sets is constantly expanding – compared to 2019, the range has more than doubled.

“Customers have long loved traditional dishes – such as Kiev cutlets, schnitzel or cabbage rolls, and children especially like a variety of pancakes. However, we notice a growing interest in sets of stewed liver with mashed potatoes, shashlik with rice. We also offer several types of pasta dishes: not only the favorite spaghetti with beef sauce, but also alternatives without meat: pasta with mozzarella and sun-dried tomatoes,” says V. Budrienė.

Shoppers are also looking for dishes reminiscent of restaurants and smelling of exotics, seeking to diversify the diet with oriental flavors. One of the most popular lunch sets lately is stewed Asian chicken. Asian dishes have a strong flavor, while being full and nutritious.

According to the head of communication, the choice of lunch dishes is also influenced by the time of year. In the cold season, the demand for richer, so-called comfortable, childhood-like food increases. Meanwhile, in the spring, shoppers opt for lighter dishes and salads.

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