Despite trends that show consumer eating behaviors gravitating toward snacks, meals and sides, especially ones that feature convenience, still appeal to consumers who prepare food at home.

A focus on clean label and simple ingredients has boosted the number of introductions in the category, and new technology in frozen foods has given processors an opportunity to capitalize on “fresh” claims that were previously unattainable.

Here, we’ve collected a smattering of new meals and sides products that run the gamut of organic rices to healthy pastas and meal kits that target specific day-parts.

Posted: March 10, 2017

For many consumers, choosing a meat and poultry dish revolves around authenticity. Consumers seek all-natural choices that reflect their desire to keep human intervention they perceive as negative out of the process. A recent Packaged Facts survey reveals that more than 6 in 10 restaurant meat and poultry eaters say that “all natural” is important to them when selecting meat/poultry dishes. Here is a look at a few new meat and poultry products.

Posted: December 5, 2016

Soup-makers are finding inspiration for new products by identifying trends in fresh, organic, vegan and chilled approaches to new product development.

Date: November 2, 2016

Complex flavors used in salad dressings have fanned out to showcase spicy ingredients like sriracha and habanero, as well as nuanced combinations such as tomato with kalamata and tamarin with dulse seaweed.

Date: September 23, 2016

A variety of industry trends are responsible for an uptick in healthy snack options:

• There is a growing preference amongst snackers for products that provide more healthful options than typical snacks.
• "Free from" remains a top driving trend for healthy-ingredient snack sales, with allergen- and gluten-free claims the most popular.
• Protein, bite-sized snacks, and innovative flavors are in high demand.
• There has been an increase in the percentage of adults who believe they snack healthier, which has climbed to 30% in the last decade. Relatedly, younger Americans are more likely to believe they eat healthier than are older adults.
• Finally, the term "natural" as a marketing tool may have to change if the US Food and Drug Administration adopts regulations concerning the term.

Date: September 8, 2016