Kent fresh foods provider's pre-prepared sales grow more than 10%

Pressures placed onto food sector by labour shortages have been fuelling growth for the pre-prepared category, which includes foods that have been sliced, diced, shredded or cut into different shapes and sizes, and require little intervention. 

In response to growing demand for pre-prepared, coupled with the trend for ‘clean labelled’ foods, Fresh Direct has introduced a range of ‘value-added’ products, including foraged mushroom ‘meat', and a new range of Freshlock products from Fresh Direct’s growing partner Barfoots. Freshlock includes a baked potato and sweetcorn, which are cooked using gentle pasteurisation, pre-cut, and only need warming in the oven before serving.

In addition, Fresh Direct has also launched its shredded white cabbage, red cabbage, and Savoy – all of which are washed and ready to eat; alongside its new vegetable mixes, such as roast veg mix and rainbow slaw.

This follows an investment of £2m into a factory expansion at its Bicester site last year, as its Fresh Kitchen brand saw rising demand.  ​​

“Supporting chefs is at the heart of what we do, so providing a range of products that make back-of-house prep more efficient fits right into that,”​ said Paul Nieduszynski, CEO for Sysco GB​​, which owns Fresh Direct.

“With staff shortages still a major issue across the foodservice industry, the demand for prepped products is growing fast. We continue to innovate to provide the products that make a real difference to chefs, prepared to a high specification and supporting chefs where and when they need it most. In many cases, we’ve been able to work with customers to develop bespoke products for them.”​

In related, fresh foods news, Bidcorp UK has welcomed a new managing director for its fresh food division, Bidfresh.​​