Hassle-free cooking
Akhil Bhargav discusses on the cryogenic and microwavable ready-to-eat technology
‘Ready-to-eat' (RTE), 'meals-ready-to-eat' (MRE) or 'ready meals' were coined in 1980s by the US Army for the official 'retort-packed ration pouches' that were stored at ambient temperature. It did not require any cooking and could be consumed as issued. Initially their quality was poor and had only three variants. Over the years, as retorting technology progressed, quality and taste profile of food improved and more dishes were added. Yet, till date, US Army has approved about 20-25 'retort-packed' dishes only mainly due to taste and quality issues.
Sectoral definition
MRE or RTE refers to the 'meals' that are eaten as bought. A 'meal' is defined as savoury dish (food product) that is not a snack.
MRE/RTE sales are booming worldwide. Rising levels of consumer disposable income and better segmentation of the market have boosted spending. The cookery and travel media encourage consumers to be more sophisticated in their food knowledge and choices. Suppliers who now offer a wider range of cuisines have noted this. Other areas that have been targeted include premium recipes and healthy eating.
Children's products is another segment marked for development.
Since MRE/RTEs have long shelf life, are portion-packed and thermo-sealed, they can now be retailed like an FMCG product - across the counter, without the trouble of portioning and the wastage and spoilage associated with fresh food retail. Mass-produced or mass-distributed ready meals would indeed revolutionise marketing and retailing of food and meals.
Long shelf life of MRE is made possible due to advancements in the food preservation technology. Inherently, all foods begin to deteriorate from the time the food is cooked or prepared. Food needs to be preserved to keep it edible beyond its spoilage threshold. Several processes and technologies are used
