Freshly is halting its direct-to-consumer meal delivery business. The company, which was acquired by Nestle in 2020, updated its website in late December to reflect the change.
Meal solutions will continue to play a huge role in the fresh perimeter of the future, but they will definitely look different from today’s solutions, said Rick Stein, vice president of fresh for Arlington, Va.-based FMI – The Food Industry Association.
For budget-conscious consumers, supermarket deli entrées become the ideal choice for restaurant-quality meals without the added costs of tipping and the extra fees involved when using a mobile delivery service.
For retail delis looking to add old-style barbecue to their catering menus, Blue Springs, Mo.-based Zarda Bar-B-Q & Catering Co. offers a line of fully cooked, hickory-smoked barbecue meats and beans.
One of the main differences between the produce departments of yesterday and today, said Anne-Marie Roerink, principal of San Antonio-based 210 Analytics, is the enormous surge in packaged and value-added products.
Retail fresh produce is at a crucial juncture in its history, said Bruce Peterson, president of Bentonville, Ark.-based Peterson Insights Inc. How it responds to this moment will play a huge role in determining whether it continues to enjoy its coveted status.
The US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) issued a public health alert due to concerns regarding ground beef products in HelloFresh meal kits possibly associated with Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157:H7 illness.