In these uncertain times, we have seen people react beyond what would normally be considered as rational behaviour. The panic hoarding of certain items took supermarkets around the world by surprise, leaving them with empty shelves, not to mention frustrated and scared customers.
A peak in demand for shelf-stable food products
The demand for shelf-stable and processed products in times of crisis is huge, seemingly driven not only by consumers’ desire to provide for themselves and their families, but also by the safety and long shelf life of these products. Manufactured using pasteurisation and Ultra High Temperature (UHT) methods mean that these types of products are free from bacteria, as well as long lasting.
Andy Coyne from online food industry portal Just Food says: “Our relationship with food as individuals, or as a society, is a complex one, and however sophisticated we become and however used we get to being able to get whatever we want whenever we want it, there seems to be a fear deep within us that it could just all run out one day.”
With our way of life changing day by day, people are turning to their favourite ‘comfort’ foods such as pizza, hamburgers, mac & cheese and pasta. Filling their pantries with non-perishable foods like pasta sauce, processed cheese and pizza cheese provide peace of mind with the knowledge that they will not ‘run out’ of food.
Saputo, the major Canadian Dairy company with global operation, is focusing on increasing its retail side of business as it’s seeing a ‘spike’ in demand as consumers stay at home, particularly from its larger market in the US.
Lino Saputo Jnr, the CEO told analysts on 26 March: “We’re looking to longer shelf life products, products that ultimately have three month, six month and in some cases, 12 month shelf life, and we’re stockpiling those products by redeploying current capacity while looking to increase it. Our retail plants are running hard.”
Perishable food manufacturers naturally play an integral role in regard to the wellbeing of consumers, however, the security that non-perishable products provide will most likely play an even greater part of the solution in the years to come.
Andy Coyne also says, “The more fundamental question for the large retailers (and their suppliers) is what they do in terms of range… Supermarket groups are taking a long, hard look at what they are offering and making adjustments. The ‘nice to have’ and newly emerging is being replaced to make space for the essentials.” (Long shelf life products.)
Natec Network is here to help processors meet customers’ changing needs
Natec Network offers a range of equipment with the proven efficient technology to provide consumers with these very essentials, globally:
- Our RotaTherm® continuous cooking system uses pasteurising and UHT processes that efficiently cook and sterilise food products such as processed / pizza cheese, pasta sauces and other shelf stable products, guaranteeing both safety and freshness for consumers
- Our FreeSlice and FreePack systems process cheese into globally familiar formats such as the slices used at takeaway chains (SOS – Slice-On-Slice) and individually wrapped slices (IWS), mainly used at home (retail), but increasingly in some food service markets to protect the hygiene of the cheese until the very last moment
Natec Network and Gold Peg are proud to offer our unique range of processing and filling equipment to produce shelf-stable products that evolve your business and address the needs of the customer market.
Contact us via the enquiry form to discover the many ways we can support you.
