Eying opportunities to keep pace with unprecedented emerging food trends, FoodDeeHub, Thailand’s five-star food hub, has announced the expansion of its product portfolio with the addition of 16 new items in four categories, coupled with a bold new launch promotion.
“The global health crisis has changed consumer preferences in new and unexpected ways,” explains Chaipat Kunapiwatkul, FoodDeeHub’s Director – Thailand Domestic Sales.
During these disruptive times, more consumers are seeking out comfort foods. This has led to the so-called ‘new normal’ where whose jobs allow, work from home and integrate physical and social distancing into their daily behavior. People are also urged to be more vigilant than ever around food safety and general hygiene.
“So, ready-to-eat food products serve this scenario perfectly,” he says.
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Meanwhile, taste and texture continue to be highly valued by consumers. Consumers have “higher expectations” and seek “greater experiences” from ready-to-eat food products now. Even while eating at home, they want a restaurant-quality experience. They are also looking for artisanal and nutritional dining options that give them the feeling of enjoying an excellent meal at a favorite restaurant, even during this health crisis.
A recent consumer survey of food outlets and suppliers in the restaurant and foodservice sectors reveals that, as consumers make high quality, hygiene and safety their priorities, ready-to-cook food products are in high demand.
In the wake of the pandemic, food outlets and restaurants have transformed their business plans to improve the quality of their operations and services. From selection of raw materials to preparation of ingredients, and from cooking in kitchens to serving guests, every process has been improved to meet the higher quality, hygiene and safety standards of the day while strictly complying with coronavirus measures.
Chaipat notes that Covid-19 has changed daily life and consumer behavior. As the pandemic has forced people to spend more time at home, they are cooking more and have become more health-conscious in their dietary choices.
Many continue to prefer ‘take-out’ to ‘eat-in’ and ready-to-eat and frozen food menus fit the bill. Besides being convenient and coming in different varieties, thanks to innovations in food technology that preserve nutrition and food safety, these menus can have a long shelf life, even up to two years, with the quality maintained throughout.
Moreover, by avoiding trips to the supermarket or wet market, the risk of catching and spreading the virus is avoided.
Another top trend, according to Chaipat, is personalization of food.
Consumers are increasingly seeking out superb quality ingredients with which to prepare meals that fit their unique lifestyle and their particular health and wellness goals. For example, individuals on diets, sports and fitness enthusiasts, and the elderly, each have different personalized nutritional needs to match their lifestyles and personal needs.
Many also tailor their life and food choices to seasonal changes and circumstances. Many also prioritize foods believed to help build resistance to Covid-19.
“So, the definition of ‘healthy food’ changes over time. For instance, most recently, we’ve seen a shift to ‘tailored to fit’ foods, as consumers adopt a more individualistic approach to eating based on personal nutrition needs, thereby moving beyond the old ‘one size fits all’ diets,” Chaipat says.
The personalization trend is definitely in the ascendance and FoodDeeHub is in the vanguard of food companies leading the response with these 16 new items in four key ‘ready-to-eat’ categories, namely, ‘Plant-based Foods’, ‘Snacks’, ‘Meats’ and ‘Frozen Seafood’.
‘Plant-based Foods’ include: Kraprao Kai with Riceberry Rice (stir-fried plant-based chicken with basil served with high-fiber and vitamin-rich purple rice), the first plant-based chicken food item in Thailand; Kraprao Moo with Jasmine Rice (stir-fried plant-based pork with jasmine rice), a popular Thai dish; and plant-based Beefburger, a popular Western food that complements the contemporary lifestyle with its emphasis on convenience. The plant-based meats are supplied by “Meatoo” which is committed to creating high quality meat substitutes that meet consumers’ sensory expectations, in line with its slogan, “Every bite tastes just like the real thing”.
“We are glad to be able to provide more options for vegans, vegetarians, flexitarians and anybody who enjoys this kind of health-conscious but delicious food,” comments Mr. Chaipat
The three new snack items are: Toong-Thong or ‘Money Bag’ (Thai traditional spring rolls); Tod-Mun Koong (deep-fried shrimp pancakes), and; Chicken Gyoza (Japanese dumplings stuffed with chicken). Each production process of these new frozen food items fully meets applicable international quality standards.
FoodDeeHub’s five new items in the meat category comprise: Wagu Striploin, Wagu Ribeye, Grass-Fed Striploin, Grass Fed Ribeye and Australian Sliced Shortplate. Each is the product of high-quality beef imported from Australia under the “Foodicio” Brand. The new items complement the company’s existing range that already includes Duck Confit and Smoked Duck Breast.
The new frozen seafood items, under “Natural Coast” brand, also feature premium quality ingredients. There’s Sablefish Steak; Imitation Abalone from Taiwan; Unagi, Roasted Salmon;Uni, or sea urchin, and; cold-water Pacific Cod, popular in Europe both for being low in fat and its mild flavor.
The new items are available with a special introductory offer of 20% discount off purchases of two or more items from the new range when purchased through Shopee, Lazada, Line OA, Facebook and some other channels. “We will continue to innovate along these lines in order to stay abreast of food industry trends as they evolve,” promised Mr Chaipat. “Watch this space.”
FoodDeeHub, operated by Siam Canadian Group, is Thailand’s five star hub of high quality frozen ready-to-cook and ready-to-eat products, sourcing from select partners around the world, and delivering nationwide.
Siam Canadian Group, which is headquartered in Bangkok, Thailand, established in 1987 has grown continuously for the past 34 years, supplies frozen seafood, fruit, vegetables, canned products as well as high quality meats and poultry from its branches in China, Vietnam, Indonesia, India, Myanmar, Bangladesh, and South America (Argentina) as well as Poland to importers, wholesalers, retailers and distributors in over 70 countries.
