We are seeing a definite change in the way consumers are buying food these days. People may only have enough time to grab a burrito and a salad at their local convenience store, but you better believe they expect it to be fresh. The trend is shifting towards higher expectations of convenience and time savings without sacrificing quality. Here are some quick tips for your food freshness program as the demand for food on the go rises:
Fresh Food First
Having a fresh food program in-house allows you to offer more indulgent options for those on-the-run consumers. It’s a great way to differentiate your products while giving consumers a one-stop-shop for their needs. Since you are preparing and serving fresh food on the premises, having an easy to use food labeling system for your team comes in handy. You can label more than one item with the same SKU, simplifying your process and saving you lots of time and money.
Provide Clear Nutritional Facts
When offering convenient grab ‘n go foods, you must provide your consumers with high-quality products. Along with that, you need clearly state information about the contents of each item you are serving. People want to know that they can trust the food they are buying, especially in a setting where the reputation of the food is often less than stellar. There are also FDA regulations that must be complied with. The ability to remain flexible with adjustments to your product offerings, as well as prepare for future regulation changes should be easy to manage and as frictionless as possible.
Offer Variety
With increasing demand comes an increase in competition. Don’t lose customers to the business down the road because you don’t have the variety of items that they do. By offering lots of choices, you will maintain loyal customers and potentially gain new ones. Nowadays customers want more to choose from when it comes to items you can serve on the go. Aside from the classic grab ‘n go food offerings, they want healthier options and a wider range of food choices.
There is an open market for convenient products which only promises to keep growing. Your success in meeting these demands will depend on your ability to adapt to a fast and simple way to package and label these quality food items. As the demand for convenient food grows, your food freshness initiative needs to be prepared to grow right along with it.