To discover what food manufacturers are doing to remain competitive by satisfying what they see as the needs and wants of those who work in the foodservice industry, this magazine conducted a study, “2003 Prepared Foods' R&D Trends Survey: Foodservice Product Development.” Judging from the responses, the commitment level of a company to the foodservice segment seems to be either very strong or relatively weak. Some 42% of respondents indicated their companies spend 25% or less of their product development efforts in this segment, while 30% claim their companies spend more than 75% of their product development resources in the foodservice area.
Foodservice operators serve food that diners often perceive to be made on-the-premises and look for “just prepared” freshness. However, food manufacturers also believe consistency is crucial, with 79% of survey respondents indicating this to be one of the most important product traits in a prepared food sold to the foodservice segment, followed by convenience (63%) and sensory quality (38%). Tying for fourth place with 56% were labor savings and price per serving, and fifth place also had a tie: extended shelflife and newness of product came in with 28% each. (See chart titled “The Importance of Quality Control.”)