WHY CONSUMERS ARE CHOOSING CONVENIENCE OVER COOKING MEALS?

Human beings have a fundamental requirement for sustenance in the form of food. It is essential for the proper operation of all the body’s components as well as for healthy development. As we are living in 21st century, people all over the world don’t have enough time to prepare food from scratch. The ready to eat (RTE) food products, also called convenience food, are fully or partially cooked when packed. These foods are often refrigerated and have defined food handling guidelines. These foods were initially consumed by defense people, disaster victims, trekkers, hikers, and hunters, others who required food in short time and on the travel lines. But now, they have become popular with most of the busy people in modern cit-ies. Canned foods, convenience foods, fast foods, frozen foods, instant products, dried foods, preserved foods, etc. all come under Ready-to-Eat foods.

The Ready-to-Eat Revolution In western countries, consumers have been increasingly opting to purchase convenient and premade meals rather than preparing meals from scratch in the kitchen. This phenomenon is so widespread that it has caused a seismic shift in the culture surrounding food. As a result of this shift, vegetables no longer need to be chopped or stirred while they are being cooked on the stovetop; instead, they can be heated up in just a few minutes. But In Bangla-desh, we don’t eat salads or canned foods that just need a few minutes in the microwave before they’re ready to eat. This is because our culture and food preferences are different from those of other countries. Therefore, most of the foods that we offer in ready-to-eat form are foods that are only partially cooked, such as frozen roti, paratha, puri, and samosa etc. which require a little bit of time and effort to prepare. But nowadays so many brands like Golden Harvest, Bengal Meat etc. offering fully cooked proper meals like Tehari, Cooked Beef, Sandwich etc. that just need few seconds to popped in micro-wave to eat. Also included in the category of ready-to-eat foods are prepackaged foods such as bakery items like cakes, cream rolls, buns, breads, and so on. “All Time”, one of the parts of PRAN-RFL Group Biscuits & Bakery is now highly popu-lar RTE company among students for their convenient packaged foods.

It is anticipated that the market for ready-to-eat foods in Bangladesh will show signs of expansion in the years to come. This expansion is anticipated to be supported by a shift toward busier lifestyles among the natives of the country as well as an increase in consumer spending toward more nutritious and delicious eating alternatives. In addition, the food that is al-ready prepared for consumption is not only beneficial for households, but its use is also growing in the hospitality industry. As a result of an increase in tourism within the country, more and more hotels and restaurants are beginning to serve ready-to-eat versions of the country’s most delectable dishes. According to 6Wresearch, Bangladesh Ready to Eat Food Market is anticipated to witness growth during the forecast period 2020-26F.

Consumers are turning to convenience, opting for ready-to eat foods that require minimal effort and time without sacrific-ing taste or nutrition. This shift in consumer behavior has significant. Ready-to-eat products provide an easy solution, ena-bling them to feed busy women and their families quickly and conveniently. Additionally, these products provide a healthier choice than alternatives like fast food, while still allowing consumers to enjoy convenient mealtime options without spend-ing hours preparing them. By this point, it has become widely acknowledged that Bangladesh’s recent successful economic growth has been driven primarily by women in the labor force. Women play a vital role in emerging economies by contrib-uting to household income, increasing labor supply for economic activities, and, most importantly, empowering women. Working women must find a balance between their personal and professional lives. Women in Bengali culture prepare food for family, friends, and relatives as a symbol of their love and affection. But independent working women are unable to do so. They prefer convenience and time savings over cooking. The Ready-to-Eat Revolution is changing the way we think about home cooking. The Ready-to-Eat Revolution is making it easier than ever to choose convenience over cooking meals, and its empowering women around the world.

Changes in family structure and socio-cultural factors have led to new ideas regarding meals. Previously, having a meal was considered eating warm food with family or friends sitting at a table. Having a meal has become a burden for some young consumers and single-person households, which has led them to prefer food that is easy to cook and prepare. Most of the young generation of our county live far alone from their home for their educational purpose. they can’t afford or make a whole meal at home for their time limitations and inconvenience situation. They often prefer food that is quick and easy, select food that is convenient to prepare, and food that tastes good. Students or young generations found RTE food very convenient because these foods can be purchased directly from the neighborhood grocery stores or hawkers or at local markets. So RTE food is one of the best choices for them.

The secret to growing the sale of ready-to-eat food is convenience. Yet, there are some outstanding psychological varia-bles as well that are provoking people to eat RTE food. First one is advertisement. One of the renowned company Nestlé MAAGIE claims it to be “2-minute noodles”. This tagline immediately quench hunger. They are not assuring if it really takes 2 minutes to prepare or not. Second one is packaging. One of the most important factors to consider when selling ready-to-eat food is packaging. Packaging is mostly designed in an attractive way that stands out on store shelves and draws the attention of shoppers. More interestingly, 90 per cent of consumer make their purchase decision upon examining the front pack labeling and 85 per cent of consumers make their purchase decisions without seeing an alternative product. The pack-age includes all relevant information such as ingredients, nutritional facts, precautions, and more.

The growing attention towards health and nutrition has created a demand for more nutritional information to be included on food packaging. People are becoming increasingly interested in knowing what is going into their bodies, and providing this information helps build trust with customers who may be more likely to purchase the product. As people are being more educated, they are started to being more concerned about their health and safety. Nonetheless, some people nowa-days still do not believe in the ingredient lists on the packaging. Particularly, most of them are illiterate people from rural area and some educated people also, who have misconception about these foods. Lastly, Price is another key factor as customers often make decisions based on how much they’re willing to spend. Most of the Ready-to-eat foods come at a reasonable price point while still making it profitable for retailers or producers who are bringing them to market. As day by day our per capital income is increasing, RTE foods becoming handier and easier to buy for people.

These are the most reasons why people are preferring eating RTE food rather than making a whole meal from the scratch. They are choosing to save their time.

The companies mostly sell convenience foods like Frozen roti, Paratha, French fries, Daal or Aloo puri, Singara, Vegetable singara, Meatball, Samosa, Chicken spring roll, Chicken sausage, Chicken nuggets, Chicken fry, Chicken wings, Chicken strips, Chicken burger, Chicken Keema Paratha, Spring Roll, Chicken lollipop, Pizza, Seafood tofu even Frozen Bengali Pitha, Desserts, Entrees and many more. It can be frozen, dried that can be quickly and easily heated or minimal cooked and pre-pared. Most of these are also started selling fully cooked oven meals that don’t need further cooking. All you just need to heat up and eat fresh. PRAN-RFL a renowned company also sells chutneys, pickles, and other condiments available which add an extra flavor in your regular meals. There are also some companies started selling instance noodles like Western cul-tures. Add boil water, cover the led. Wait three minutes and it’s ready to eat.

Ready to eat foods are becoming increasingly popular in Bangladesh, providing a convenient and delicious way to enjoy a meal. These foods come in a variety of flavors, styles, and sizes, offering something for everyone. Examples include tradi-tional Bangladeshi dishes such as prepared biryani, cooked beef with high-quality ingredients and ready to eat; snacks like samosa, puri, roll etc. can be fried or baked in munities and many more. Ready to eat foods offer convenience without sac-rificing taste – perfect for busy lives! Furthermore, they can be stored for a long period of time, extending their shelf life so that you can always have something delicious on hand. Ready to eat foods are perfect for those looking for an effortless yet tasty meal option. With such a wide variety of food available, it’s easy to find something delicious to satisfy any crav-ing!

The writer is a freelance contributor