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FROZEN FOOD FROM PAGE 18 “Convenience also plays a big role in consumers’ support of frozen products. The purpose of Fry’s range is to be an alternative to meat, and our plant-based products are a lot simpler to cook from frozen than meat products. “We’re all about providing great products to meet Australian consumers’ needs.” Flexitarians and foodies Berger Ingredients is the local company behind kids’ frozen meal brand Coco & Lucas’ Kitchen and frozen plant-based brand Earth. Founder and CEO Diem Fuggersberger says Australians are increasingly eating less – or no – meat and citing ‘health’ as the reason for doing so. “We’re at an early stage in the category of meat replacements,” she said. “At the moment, the key trend is offering meat alternatives to traditional meat-based convenience products. We anticipate the category will become more sophisticated and key trends such as sustainability and health will continue to drive consumer decision.” Earth’s entry into the freezer aisles began in 2019 with the introduction of plant-based ready meals. Following success, it launched an entertainment range (spring rolls, money bags, curry puffs and plant-based bites) and most recently, the Cook ‘n’ Create range to cater to a growing market of vegans, vegetarians and flexitarians who like to cook their own meals. Ms Fuggersberger says sales have grown by 200 per cent month on month since the brand was launched. “We understand not only that are our customers are looking for convenience, but \\\[also\\\] that the quality of the food needs to be so good that people don’t feel they’re missing out when they’re eating plant-based,” she said. “Our aim is to create an authentic sensorial experience. Beyond taste, it has to deliver the bite and mouth feel. We deliver this through our investment in leading food science, processing technology and R&D and using the freshest ingredients sourced locally.” Local fruits Aussie Frozen Fruit launched in May 2020 during the height of the Covid pandemic and panic buying period. Its sales lifted considerably at this time, which CEO Brett Jackson attributes to demand for trusted Australian products and the delays affecting imported goods through disruptions to worldwide supply chains. “We’re still trying to ascertain the new normal as we come out of Covid,” he said. “One of the biggest challenges we “One of the biggest challenges we have is competing against frozen fruit brands that use imported fruit, that have a cheaper price point.” have is competing against frozen fruit brands that use imported fruit, that have a cheaper price point. Our fruit is sourced from fruit growers around Australia, and we’re proud to be an Australian owned business supporting Australian farmers.” Aussie Frozen Fruit has grown its range from three to five SKUs since launching, with frozen pineapple the latest addition. Mr Jackson says the company is working to educate consumers on the benefits of frozen fruit, including being able to enjoy seasonal fruit all year round. “This convenience ensures you can still meet your daily fruit serves with frozen fruit,” he said. “We’re working closely with our in- house nutritionist/dietitian on validating the health benefits of frozen product versus fresh product, and also canned product, and also looking to educate consumers of the benefits of frozen locking in key nutrients.” CALLS TO IMPROVE COLD CHAIN COMPLIANCE Australian climatic conditions make it difficult to maintain low temperatures as frozen food passes from trucks to loading docks and cold stores. So, how can the industry ensure frozen food is kept at a suitable temperature throughout this journey? Australian Food Cold Chain Council Chair Mark Mitchell says technologies for advanced temperature monitoring and refrigeration have been available for some time in Australia, but industry has been slow to adopt. “Temperature monitoring is one of the key processes of a compliant cold chain,” he said. “Monitoring the temperature of foods in any intermodal container, truck or trailer must be continuous. Just taking the temperature at the end point isn’t enough.” Journey temperature mapping has reached an advanced stage with smart probe technology that can measure the core temperature of the food product without the need to insert sensors or probes into the chilled or frozen goods. Mr Mitchell says the problem holding up full compliance in the Australian cold chain is that not enough stakeholders understand that the cold chain is a quality management system. “It encompasses processes that verify and validate temperature compliance from the beginning to the end – from farm to consumer,” he said. “To date, far too few players in the cold chain recognise this, and that’s impacting on the food loss and wastage statistics, not to mention the consequences for the environment and energy.” Mr Mitchell highlights the issue of stakeholders not adequately exchanging temperature information when goods change hands. Sometimes temperature exchange just doesn’t happen. Other times, operators rely on inaccurate air temperatures or telematics that are never looked at unless a load rejection occurs. “The result of these serious oversights is that temperature-abused food passes through CCPs \\\[cold chain platforms\\\] without anyone ever knowing,” he said. “Our message for cold chain practitioners who want to be part of a compliant cold chain is that they need to become verifiers in the cold chain processes and make sure the cold chain process allows measurement of temperature at all points, with temperature data handed over during receiving and delivery of goods.” 20 RETAIL WORLD JUN, 2021