Getting out of a jam …. with jam?
As a part of the food industry, we feel for the restaurants and cafes that have had their businesses potentially devastated overnight by Covid-19 and stories of friends out of work and food going to waste just break our hearts! But it feels like the choice to be made is between saving people’s jobs or saving our family’s lives.
It seems that some enterprising entrepreneurs are coming out of the kitchens and looking for ways to feed the ever-hungry take-home market – which was already expanding sector. And in the last few weeks that market has exploded beyond recognition because of ‘self-isolation’ and ‘social distancing’. In reality, dining out might not be a choice for a few weeks or months now that restaurants and cafes are ordered to close their dining areas.
Turning meals into take out is one option, but another is for restaurants to diversify even further and turn it into a packaged meal that can be picked up from a retailer, and reheated. However, there are some things that both makers and eaters need to be aware of when re-purposing restaurant food for a different market. As much as you LOVE that Big-Name Restaurant Chicken Curry dish, it was made by skilled chefs that have amazing palates and was designed to be cooked and eaten in the same space – as fresh and sizzling as possible.
“Once that store-bought chicken curry is re-heated at home, it has gone through many processes – cooked, cooled, portioned, packed, labelled, delivered” says Jane Del Rosso of The Business of Food, “and a recipe for a packaged product is usually created to survive that journey and come out the other side safe, compliant and as tasty as the original.”
Rules and regulations in our food system are there to keep consumers safe and there are processes to be followed when creating a packaged product. In this health-affected environment, skipping steps in this process could have unintended consequences such as: exposing our customer to additional health risks from undeclared allergens or food safety in processing and delivery; or the other side is the risk to the restaurant’s well-earned reputation and fines for non-compliance. It’s worth taking a little time to get it right now and that means you’ll have a product to be proud of that’s established in the market once this crisis is over.
Roslyn Anderson, Founder of Tastebuddies Food Labelling, deals in food labelling and regulatory compliance on a daily basis. “Packaging plays many roles in pre-packaged retail foods. It protects during transit and keeps food safe, provides consumer information and builds trust and recognition. Along with the safe production of ready meals in the restaurant, the packaging is important for shelf life and the food label on retail products must by law, advise consumers on nutrition, allergen and other food safety aspects.”
Blade Creative is a brand consultancy specialising in food brand and packaging design. They work with food businesses to build brands that stand out on the shelf and also build trust and recognition of retail food products in the long term. With supermarket shelves being stripped bare, one gets the feeling there’s little effort needed for a new food product to attract attention at the moment, but if a packaged product turns into a long term goal because of a short term opportunity, Clare Blackstock, Blade’s founder, says ‘Great brands have strong personalities and are consistent and clear in their messages and identities. You need to capture the attention of the consumer, for their first purchase and then make sure you’re brand is clearly recognisable when the consumer comes back for a second time or wants to sample another delicious product from your range.’.
We all love to see our Aussie spirit of mateship in action, so whether you are a maker or an eater, here’s some suggestions:
As consumers, consider the best and safest way to support these restaurants through the current crisis. Order your meal through reputable delivery services or from the establishment directly. The food regulations that apply are different to buying from a retail store and exist to ensure your safety.
To the creative cooks in our favourite local restaurants, we look forward to continued access to your delicious food in our own homes and cross our fingers that we can visit when this threat has passed. In the meantime, if you think you have something that will give us a taste of your dishes from a retail shelf, get in touch with people that can help you do that. Who knows, a short-term challenge might turn into a long-term solution.