Monthly Archives: January 2023

From frozen sandwiches that don’t need to be nuked to pies and waffles that go from freezer to plate, food manufacturers are racing to introduce “thaw and eat” products.

Why it matters: Consumers have gotten used to eating more meals at home, thanks to the pandemic. Now that offices have beckoned them back, they’re seeking easier-than-ever options.

Details: Frozen “thaw and eat” or “thaw and serve” products can be ready to eat in two hours or less — no microwave required.

• The latest US offerings are aimed at adults who grew up with Uncrustables, Eggo, and other one-handed cultural touchstones.
• Nestlé is trying to propagate the term “smeals” to refer to small meals (or sizable snacks) catering to modern consumption habits.

Driving the news: J.M. Smucker Co. just introduced a new line of Uncrustables frozen sandwiches filled with meat and cheese instead of PB&J — on the heels of Nestlé rolling out Deliwich, a line of soft-crust Hot Pockets that don’t require heating.

• The two familiar brands are going head-to-head, both touting the grabbable, convenient, no-mess aspect of their lunchbox-friendly sandwiches.
• Uncrustables Meat and Cheese Bites come in ham & cheddar and turkey & Colby…and so do Deliwiches.
• Smuckers is doubling down on Uncrustables, building a $1.1 billion manufacturing plant in Alabama to crank them out. 
• Nestlé says Deliwiches — which some are calling “cold pockets” — are “somewhat unexpectedly” proving more popular with adults than kids.

Of note: Kraft Heinz debuted its take on this product — Box sandwiches — in 2019.

• Eggo unveiled its entry — Eggo Grab & Go Liege-Style Waffles, billed as “the first-ever Eggo waffle that doesn’t require a toaster” — in April. 

Thaw-and-serve frozen pies are also available. 

• Euro pastry makes thaw-and-serve sourdough bread and doughnuts. 
• And the Willamette Valley Pie Company just introduced a line of almond butter with fruit sandwiches called Berryfield’s.

What they’re saying: Thaw-and-eat is “a territory that, while it’s existed, it may not have had as many offerings that were targeted towards the consumer,” states Nestlé USA Chief Strategy Officer Melissa Cash. 

• Cash refers to the “handheld space” and “smeals” as “an opportunity to meet the consumer where they’re at in terms of behaviour.”
• With Deliwich (and its competitors), “you pop up and you grab something” — then you can get right back to work.

The big picture: Frozen foods underwent a renaissance during the pandemic as consumers hunkered down — and the sales bump seems to be continuing.

• “The rediscovery of the frozen foods aisle has resulted in increased innovation across the industry,” reports Winsight Grocery Business, a trade publication.
• Eating more meals at home is a “sticky behaviour” that’s outlasting the height of the pandemic — but these days people want more speed and convenience, per David Portalatin, food industry advisor at the NPD Group.

The bottom line: While Uncrustables specifically recommends against putting its sandwiches in the microwave (or toaster or air fryer), some thaw-and-eat products could probably benefit from a dose of heat. 

Look, up in the sky! It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s… an ad? 

• The constant battle for our attention — and money — is going airborne

• Why it matters: Advertisements are showing up everywhere as brands get increasingly desperate for sales amid a rocky economic stretch.
• The sky above our heads is no exception.

Driving the news: Increasingly sophisticated drone show technology — which enables massive swarms of tiny lit-up drones to fly in sync with one another, displaying well-known logos, characters and so on — is pushing “skyvertising” to new heights.

• The company behind popular mobile game Candy Crush recently launched 500 drones from New Jersey, just across the Hudson River from downtown Manhattan, to celebrate the game’s 10th anniversary.
• The drones took the shape of hearts, candy, and other game and brand imagery.
• The NBA also deployed drone advertising over the Hudson to promote its 2022 Draft this past summer.

Companies that run such shows promote them as the future of aerial advertising — the 21st century equivalent of having a banner ad towed slowly across the sky.

• While some people enjoy the displays, others are dismayed to have yet another annoying ad thrust upon them.

Background: Using aircraft to get consumers’ attention is a time-honoured tradition — the USA’s oldest banner plane outfit, Paramount Air Service based in southern New Jersey, has been operating since 1945.

The big picture: Drone displays are just one emerging technology messing with our night-time views.

• Astronomers and amateur stargazers alike bemoan SpaceX’s Starlink internet satellites, which can pollute otherwise pristine night skies.
• The counterargument: Starlink and similar tech help provide internet access in far-flung places that are hard to connect by other means.

Go deeper: Some communities are embracing drone shows as a climate-friendly fireworks alternative.

• Miami Beach hosted a holiday drone display last year.

What’s next: Forget the sky just over your head — researchers are hard at workfiguring out how to develop satellite-based “space billboards.”

• Similar past plans, including a “Moonvertising scheme” have largely fizzled due to cost, complexity and similar hurdles. 
• But as humanity looks to connolise the Moon and beyond, you better believe we’ll take our billboards along with us — eventually, anyway.