Rupari Food Services, a culinary supplier of ready-to-eat pork ribs and BBQ meat entrees, is offering a new item in the pre-cooked refrigerated meat category with the launch of Tony Roma’s All Natural Ribs and Pulled Pork.

USDA officials have approved a five-fold increase in the level of tomato lycopene allowed as a colorant in ready-to-eat (RTE) meat products.

The company claims the new ready-to-eat pasta meals represent market firsts for their category.

The steady growth of prepared foods at retail may be spurred by retailers looking at their prepared food programs as profit centers rather than just traffic drivers, as they had in the past.

USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has issued a 19-page draft of guidelines to help small and very small meat and poultry manufacturers reduce bacterial contamination in ready-to-eat (RTE) foods.