February 16, 2024
The world of prepared food is hard to pin down. It encompasses everything from pet food and baby formula to tomato preparations and ready-made soups.
“It’s a category that’s becoming increasingly popular among consumers as it offers the convenience and quality our fast-paced lives require,” says Ivanna Skrypnichenko, Category Marketing Manager at Tetra Pak.
These days, a lot of the innovation within the prepared food space is focused on natural content, clean labels and plant-based ingredients – and one of the people leading the innovation charge is Peter Brunkestram, Food Technologist and Chef at Tetra Pak.
Collaborating with customers: From pet food to baby food
Peter works in the Tetra Recart® Food Development Centre, which explores all the possibilities of prepared food. Here, he experiments with recipes, swapping out ingredients for local or more tasty options, and collaborates with food producers to create innovative food products.
”We do a lot of research and testing to get the perfect taste and texture. It involves everything from ingredient sourcing and recipe handling to technical advice on processing and heat treatment,” says Peter.
Something that makes the job exciting for Peter and Ivanna is that the customers vary so much – and the same goes for the challenges they need to solve.
“There’s definitely a trend towards more natural products. We work with many of our customers to […] include more natural ingredients like chickpeas, beans, and vegetables,”
“One day, we might be looking at how to create better pet food; the next, it’s all about making healthier baby food,” says Ivanna.
Growing demand for natural products and clean labels
When Ivanna talks to food producers and surveys consumers, there’s also a clear demand for clean labels and natural products.
“There’s definitely a trend towards more natural products. We work with many of our customers to reformulate existing products and develop new recipes and products to reduce additives as much as possible and include more natural ingredients like chickpeas, beans, and vegetables,” says Ivanna.
“Sometimes, you need additives to change the viscosity, or you might want some antioxidants, but most of the shelf-stable food we work with for our customers doesn’t need additives. The heat-treated process is the most important thing,” she adds.
Why can’t babies also have good, healthy food?
One of the projects that stands out to Peter took place during the COVID-19 pandemic. A Swedish mom who used to be a lawyer contacted Peter and the food development team with a request that turned out to be both fun and fast-paced.
“She wanted to make better food products for babies. She had started working on her stove and wanted to come to us and learn how to upscale and improve her recipe,” says Peter.
Together, they developed two recipes for baby food. The initial intention was to produce a clean-label product with low water content that was high in nutrients and protein, but the low water content, for example, was challenging to achieve. To make the product easier to manage in the factory’s production process, it had to be pumpable, which means water was required.
“I believe a mixture of plant-based and animal protein will be the next big thing. We can see that protein, especially from the ocean, is popular and offers many options to gain a lot of flavour and taste”
“We didn’t stray too far from her original idea, but when you’re working at an industrial scale, you have to give up on certain things. It was really exciting to see how engaged she was and how much she learned so quickly, and we had lots of productive sparring about how to achieve her goals without compromising too much,” says Peter.
It took less than seven months from the kick-off meeting at Tetra Pak in Lund until the product was on the shelf.
“It was one of the fastest projects we ever did from start to finish. It was really fun to see where we could make a difference because baby food is sometimes the first food they ever consumed, and it’s so vital for their health and wellbeing,” says Peter.
Are plant-based foods plateauing?
Plant-based is another popular category within prepared foods, and while it is becoming more mainstream in some parts of the world, Peter says there still seems to be a consumer concern.
“There’s definitely something there, but it’s time to rethink the approach. A lot of plant-based food today is highly processed because it’s all about getting the right flavour and taste – at the right price,” says Peter.
Because one thing is clear among consumers: Taste is still king.
“I don’t think we’ve fully addressed this yet when it comes to plant-based food – and especially when we talk about alternative protein products. This is an area that could benefit from new developments and innovation. We’re on a bit of a plateau at the moment. It’s crucial to understand that if it doesn’t taste good, it just doesn’t work,” says Peter.
The future is a mix of plant-based and other proteins
In addition to taste, texture is also crucial. But replicating both the taste and appearance of conventional meat-based products is hard.
“We’re getting close to bridging the gap between meat-based and plant-based when it comes to taste, nutrition and price, but honestly, it’s just not good enough yet. The next era of plant-based is to look at what can be improved and break the echo of highly processed food and food that just isn’t good or tasty,” says Ivanna.
Looking to the future, Peter sees a food industry that won’t necessarily be driven forward by purely plant-based products.
“I believe a mixture of plant-based and animal protein will be the next big thing. We can see that protein, especially from the ocean, is popular and offers many options to gain a lot of flavour and taste. So if we can add some protein and flavour from the sea and combine it with other animal proteins and plant-based, that could be a game-changer,” says Peter.
What’s the difference between prepared and processed food?
The terms prepared food and processed food are often used interchangeably but have distinct meanings. Prepared food refers to any food item that has undergone some level of cooking, assembling, putting together, and blending. Processed food undergoes a series of mechanical or chemical steps to change its form, taste or texture or to preserve it and prolong shelf life. Sometimes, new ingredients are added.
What’s the difference between prepared and processed food?
The terms prepared food and processed food are often used interchangeably but have distinct meanings. Prepared food refers to any food item that has undergone some level of cooking, assembling, putting together, and blending. Processed food undergoes a series of mechanical or chemical steps to change its form, taste or texture or to preserve it and prolong shelf life. Sometimes, new ingredients are added.
