PACKAGING

My prediction for the new year is it will be a year of "The Environmentally Responsible Consumer." Consumers are projected to place increased emphasis on the importance of shopping locally and consumers understand that shopping locally minimizes the impact on our environment.

Buying local not only supports our neighbors but has a lasting impact on growing our communities. There is a functional benefit due to an increase in unavailable products with mass supply chain issues that will continue well into 2023. We have all seen and lived through the challenges of packaging chicken, eggs, turkeys, and lettuce, to name a few.

Yet another year of continued rapid change and pivoting, it's time to look ahead and ask, "What does 2023 have in store for us?"

Pandemic-era eating habits tied to stayat-home restrictions will continue to affect our customer's behavior. Most customers turned away from eating meals out and cooked at home instead. Of those consumers who developed cooking at- home routines, 53% plan to maintain these habits, resulting in a heightened demand for more time-saving products and less labor-intensive meals than ever before. Convenience will be key. Navigating your business to more take-home meals fills the voids for the customer's demand to "cook at home." Take-home packaging plays a key part in the quality of your food and the experience they have. Your Performance Foodservice specialists can help you find and develop takehome programs and appropriate packaging to elevate your customer's experience.

The implications of these demands have led many owners/operators to update their packaging's ability to communicate quality and meet the needs of weary at-home chefs. Some popular options enabled by packaging features have been ready-to-eat (RTE) or ready-to-cook (RTC) meals, cooking in-pack, and pre-portioned servings or ingredients.

In addition, consumers seek out frozen and RTE/C meals that include nutritious quality ingredients and chefinspired recipes. Almost 70% of U.S. consumers who have eaten packaged prepared meals or side dishes say nutritional information should be more visible on the pack. Restaurant owners must ensure to communicate to the customer that even with products that minimize the consumer's effort, the caliber of the contents is not affected. Performance Foodservice has partnered with National Checking to provide a low-cost, cloud-based printer for nutritional information and labeling. We can offer a free and easy trial on-site. Just ask us, and we will be more than happy to schedule it for you.

The industry has adopted less is more strategies, including SKU reduction and curated offerings to make shopping and dining more convenient. Let's remember easier online ordering.

Owner/Operators should also consider if their packaging is working hard enough to meet the convenience demands of customers. Beyond time savings, customers need packaging to meet needs across the entire lifecycle from purchase through use to disposal. Packaging that fails at any point can be considered inconvenient and deter repurchases. Right-sizing and responsible end-of-life disposal are areas to consider boosting convenience.

Our customers should also consider suppliers who can support their complex value chains and offer business solutions that can proactively identify risk for stockouts and new and innovative packaging. We at Performance Foodservice are here for all your specific needs. Our approach is tailored to you and your business. Don't hesitate to contact us today for a brilliant assessment to bring you into 2023.

Source: Kroger, Lindi, Lending Tree, American Express