Convenience is becoming one of the most important factors when it comes to food selection. American consumers are purchasing more items that are already prepared, searching for value-added products that are ready-to-use. One major benefit that consumers crave is the ability to reduce the time needed to prepare a meal. One of the most time consuming parts of putting a meal together is prepping the ingredients, especially fresh produce. Consequently, there have been productive solutions that have been created in response to the demand for convenience.

How Have Changes in Food Shopping Affected the Produce Industry?

With new technology, food shopping is taking on a very different look recently. With home delivery options such as meal kit delivery services and purchasing groceries online for delivery or pick up, convenience is being met in more than one way. Eating a fresh, home cooked meal is easy than ever. The “meal in a box” phenomena is the latest craze and the ultimate in convenience. Not only are you provided all of the fresh ingredients, but also a recipe with step-by-step directions. Some are providing produce that is already prepared for an even quicker and easier experience, reducing prep time. Forbes has put together a list of their top 10 meal kit delivery services and has provided reviews of each.

For those consumers who choose to go a more traditional route with food shopping, let’s take a look at the changes that grocery stores have made in order to accommodate convenience. Walk through the produce aisles and you’ll notice more prepared choices for shoppers. More than just baby carrots and bagged salads, there are a variety of prepared fruits and vegetables that have been wildly successful. From fruit salad trays to value added vegetables to vegetable noodles, there are more selections than ever. These fresh cut options are sold for a premium, but consumers are willing to pay extra for the convenience.

Fresh is Simple

Providing the solution to the problem of oxidation in cut produce, NatureSeal has been blazing the trail when it comes to proving fresh cut produce convenience from the start. Over the years, NatureSeal has been growing our line of product offerings to accommodate the demand of the produce industry and ultimately the demand of the consumer. Recently, our line of products has grown to include organic certified formulas to treat a variety of organic produce for processors. With convenience as a major factor in our mission to provide fresh cut produce selections that not only look fresh, but maintain the natural qualities, NatureSeal will continue to provide fresh cut produce solutions.

What advances has the food industry made to make food shopping more convenient for you? Please comment below.