Ready meals on the rise in South Africa

SALES of ready meals are on the up in South Africa, and innovative packaging will be key to keeping up with this demand, according to KM Packaging Services Ltd, the European pioneer of film lidding solutions.

C’pet packaging used in ready-to-eat foods

The company, which operates flexibly and efficiently in international markets, is poised to take advantage of the increasing popularity of convenience food amongst South Africa’s working class with no time to spare for food preparation. The country’s ready meals sector is primarily dominated by retailers’ private label brands*, which provide a choice of products at a variety of price points. Future sales growth is expected to be driven by middle-income consumers who seek innovative products to complement their busy lifestyles – and this is where KM’s class-leading expertise comes in.

Based in the UK, the company revolutionised the ready meals industry with lidding film for aluminium foil trays in the late 1990s, and has since led the way in the development of class-leading solutions for a wide variety of other tray materials including A’pet, C’pet, and even lacquered materials. Having pioneered packaging solutions for a new generation of cost-effective, freezable and ovenable meals which would subsequently grace dinner tables across the world, the company is now turning its expertise to more diverse markets including fresh products such as meat, fruit and vegetables.

A’pet packaging suitable for fresh produce

Retailers have come a long way from dropping a handful of apples into a paper bag, and now expect a higher grade, more professional package to improve convenience, product display and shelf life. Thanks to close working partnerships with worldwide leaders in polyester film, KM Packaging has been able to meet demand for sophisticated lidding solutions for everything from joints of meat to barbecue-ready vegetables in a sealed tray. The firm is the driving force behind many more class-leading innovations including high-tech anti-fog solutions and precisely laser-perforated films adapted to significantly extend the shelf-life of fresh produce.

“The ready meal sector started to take off in the 1990s – attributable at least in part to KM devising the ideal lidding solution which achieved a premium look at a less-than-premium cost. South Africa’s retailers took a little while to catch on but now demand for quality convenience food is rocketing – especially as the packaging becomes lighter and more eco-friendly,” explained KM Packaging’s commercial director, Graham Holding.

 “KM works closely with major suppliers of all types of tray and heat sealing machinery, to ensure that products progress technically as the needs of the farmer, food manufacturer and retailer become more complex,” Mr Holding added. “Sophisticated, home-made-style ready meals and pre-packaged meat and veg are exactly what the South African consumers are snapping up in their droves. We’re expecting to see annual growth of up to 4 per cent* in the country’s food to go market for the foreseeable future.”

KM Packaging is constantly investing in new technologies and flexible packaging solutions. The company’s flexibility and commitment to rapid turnaround mean that it can meet demand for both high volume orders and also fast delivery on short-run seasonal products. 

*Euromonitor International