Be Prepared!
By John J. Pierce

Not your usual side dish: imported Fusilli Puttanesca under Archer Farms brand at Target.

Retailers scouting for ways to liven up their prepared foods sections might do well to emulate the programs of Target and Loblaws.

Prepared foods? At most supermarket chains they’re pretty familiar: packaged skillet dinners, canned spaghetti and meatballs, frozen lasagna, canned or deli luncheon meats, drab-looking take-out fare in drab-looking packaging.

Yet at its supercenters, and even some of its larger discount stores like one at the Palisades Mall in West Nyack, NY, Target, Minneapolis, MN, has come out with all sorts of dry and frozen prepared items people rarely see at supermarkets, even in advertised brands.

North of the border, Toronto, ON-based Loblaw Companies has leveraged its President’s Choice brand for a whole raft of cutting-edge items, including Japanese-style bento meals and Indian and Greek-themed pizzas. Both Loblaw and Target are big on risotto dishes, imported from Italy.

“Enjoy all the flavor of a traditional slow-simmered risotto without all the work,” the Canadian retailer says of one of its latest introductions in the Splendido sub-brand. “Our version is made with Italian superfine Arborio rice, butternut squash and a blend of cheddar and Gouda cheeses.” Also new is a Red Pepper version. Under the Archer Farms brand, meanwhile, Target offers Wild Mushroom, Red Pepper Leek, Tomato & Herb and Four Cheese risottos-and the Italian dishes don’t end there.

“Enjoy a taste of Italy with this classic Sicilian dish,” says Target of one of its imported Italian side dishes. “Our Fusilli Puttanesca is made with the finest Italian pasta in a zesty sauce of tomatoes, eggplant and olives. Pair with roasted rosemary chicken for an easy and delicious weeknight dinner.” Mushroom Gnocchi and Penne Carbonara are also part of the line.

In the refrigerated department are entrees under the Market Pantry brand including Meatloaf with Sauce. Beef Tips with Gravy and Beef Roast in Juices, plus BBQ sauce with shredded beef and pork for sandwiches. Under the Archer Farms brand there are not only mild and hot Italian sausage and bratwurst, but Cajun-style and Chorizo sausage, pork sausage links and even maple-flavored pork sausage links.

Then there are the Archer Farms frozen food offerings: Mango & Lime Glazed Tilapia, Chicken with Sherry Sauce, Spicy Cajun-style Shrimp, Canadian Bacon, Swiss & Egg breakfast sandwiches, mini crab cakes. Only the On to Go Bistro line at Hannaford, Scarborough, ME, due to be introduced at other divisions of Delhaize USA, Salisbury, NC, offers anything comparable at supermarkets in the United States.

Even at Target and Hannaford, however, you won’t find anything quite like the President’s Choice Chicken Yakitori dinner at Loblaws: “Our tantalizing bento (meal in a box) includes traditional Japanese specialties and ingredients, ready for you to microwave and enjoy in a matter of minutes. This selection includes sticky rice with furikake seasoning, charcoal-grilled chicken skewers in an authentic mirin, sake & soy-based tare sauce, tender-crisp mixed vegetables and a savoury pork gyoza dumpling in sauce.”

Traditional prepared foods are actually doing pretty well in the USA, says Information Resources, Inc. (IRI), Chicago IL. Sales of dry dinner mixes (add meat) were up 7.3% to $26.3 million for the 52 weeks ended 9/9/07. Store brand canned lunch meats were up 6.8% to $8.1 million. But shelf-stable pasta dishes performed poorly, off 8.6% to $40.7 million.

Microwave shelf-stable packaged dinners were up 81% to $2.9 million-that may be the Target effect. One of the largest categories is refrigerated sliced lunch meat at $507.7 million. That was off 0.5%, but retailers like Price Chopper, Schenectady, NY, are trying to revitalize the category with items like thin-sliced sandwich pepperoni (“a Taste of Italy”). Dry macaroni and cheese mixes, at $100.4 million, were up just 0.3%.

Target goes with tradition in its 12.9 oz Market Pantry swift mac and cheese at $1.97, versus $2.59 for Kraft Easy Mac, But under the Archer Farms banner, it goes far beyond tradition with Five-Cheese Macaroni, Creamy Tomato Penne, Mushroom Cavatappi and Carbonara Bucato-dry pasta dishes like nothing anywhere else.

Harris Teeter, Matthews, NC, has livened up the relatively moribund catgory of refrigerated pasta dishes with novel Fresh Foods Market items like Veal Agnolotti-pasta stuffed with veal-Six Cheese Tortellini with pork, prosciutto and parmesan; Tortellini with Italian Sausage; and Mediterranean Garden Fagotini. Private Selection deli meats at Kroger, Cincinnati, OH, include Hot Capicola, Milano Salami, Prosciutto and Suppressata.

Recommended suppliers

• Hormel Foods, Austin, MN, 507-437-5603
• Request Foods Inc., Holland, MI, 616-786-0900

Products described or shown in this article are not necessarily available from these suppliers. For more suppliers see current Private Label Directory & Buyer’s Guide.