VANNIYA SRIANGURA

The days when families would gather around the dining table and enjoy homemade meals
prepared by mum or grandma are rapidly fading. Today's urbanites are more likely to grab a readymeal on the way home from work, microwave it and curl up in front of the television set.

Over the past few years, the number of frozen meals available has mushroomed to the extent that they now fill freezer cabinets everywhere from supermarkets and gas stations to skytrain convenience stores.

According to a recent report from the marketing information company ACNeilsen, Thai consumers lead the world as the most frequent buyers of ready-to-eat meals (which include food from street stalls, restaurants, delivery services and supermarkets as well as frozen meals), with an estimated 43 percent of the population buying them regularly. Thailand is
followed in the rankings by China, Taiwan and Malaysia, while European nations hardly figure at all.

"Today, both men and women have jobs," says Surat Senviboon, vice president of sales and marketing at S&P, one of the country's frozen food pioneers. "They spend more time working and commuting and not at home, so family meals have become less frequent and cooking has become more difficult."

Surat also notes that preparing meals from scratch usually requires sufficient space and appliances - not always possible for people who live in small condos or apartments.

"Another important point is that because people are living alone or as a small family, cooking may not seem worth the time and effort. For example, to make gaeng kati (coconut milk-based curry) from scratch, you have to begin by grating the coconut flesh, squeezing out the milk and then pounding the chillies and other ingredients to make the curry paste. This is obviously time consuming and requires good culinary skills. So the ready-to-eat meals offer a great solution."

What's more, ready-meals can prove a financially friendly option.

"Buying aharn toong (ready-to-eat food in plastic bags) is certainly cheaper than cooking by yourself," said Pornpen Nartpiriyarat, Tesco Lotus's head of trading law. Pornpen was one of the team members that first launched Tesco's frozen meal range 10 years ago and the superstore brand now has more than 100 varieties of ready-to-eat meals available.

"Since 1998, when Thailand's economy crashed, the number of family members that actually cook has declined dramatically, and aharn toong have become a real necessity. Consumers can control their budgets as well as the size of the portions," Pornpen noted, adding that dining out at simple restaurants has also become more popular, an assertion backed up by a study of the Ministry of Health which shows that over the past two decades,
the popularity of eating out has risen by 10-20 percent each year.

"The consumption of frozen meals in Thailand is obviously not high compared to that in the Western world," says S&P's Surat. "One of the main reasons appears to be that we have so many other options available, like street stalls and food courts, that we don't need to consume food that has been frozen.
 

"Another factor is that Thais, like most Asian people, love to consume freshly-made food. We have a perception that a frozen meal is similar to leftovers, which we don't like. But in reality, frozen food is often safer and more hygienic than much freshly-cooked food."

Manufacturers are well aware, however, that there is room in the market for frozen meals.

"We are not trying to compete with other ready-to-eat choices, but rather to fill the gap," says Surat, who says that many people find that stocking up on frozen meals is a good back-up.
"The great strength of frozen food is its long life," he continues. "Generally it can be stored in a freezer without losing its nutritional benefit for as long as a year. And while food shops and delivery service may not operate round the clock, frozen meals are available all day, every day."

Now we come to safety and hygiene. According to manufacturers, you can never be sure about the shelf-life of street food because it has not gone through a preservation process and is thus quick to perish. In addition, frozen foods are often claimed to be a lot more hygienic than many other kinds of food due to international-standard production processes and tightly sealed packaging.
 

Blue Elephant's marketing & sales manager, Usanee Mayuraskun, says, "While people have a perception that frozen food is of a lower quality, freezing is just a method of food preservation. It is in fact one of the healthiest ways since it doesn't need preservatives.We sterilise the food by using extreme temperatures, not chemical substances."

Thanks to eye-catching displays and an awe-inspiring range of goods, today's frozen food sections are no longer considered the boring aisles. Available in almost every supermarket and superstore in the country, locallyproduced frozen meals offer a variety of exotic cuisines- which can be nigh-on impossible to prepare at home - as well as healthier choices and all time favourites.

Launched in May this year, Azian by Blue Elephant has positioned itself at the premium end of the market. Some of the initial offerings include tamarind duck with lemongrass-flavoured rice and butter chicken with basmati rice.

"The feedback has been good," says Usanee. "We weren't really looking for a huge sales volume. We wanted to create distinction and offer something that the market didn't already have. We've been in the restaurant business for almost 30 years and we already know what our customers like. The items we selected for the frozen meals are the best-selling items at our restaurants. Our target customers are a niche market and mostly expats.

" Better Food by Betagro, on the other hand, targets those who are particularly concerned with health. "Our company's core value is quality," says chief operating officer Vasit Taepaisitphongse. "We only use premium grade meat for our frozen meals. Our chicken and pigs are raised in an extremely biosecure, disinfected farm and are free of antibiotics. So you can be sure that the food is safe for everyone in the family,

" With so many companies looking to get involved in the booming sector, S&P, the pioneer in the field, know they can't afford to stand still.

"Every time we launch a new product, we always do a menu survey," says Surat. "We study the market and the consumer's selection trends. For example, now Japanese food is very popular so we are presenting a selection of Japanese dishes. It is significant to be aware of the consumer's lifestyle.

" While the price for fresh produce increases every year - which has led to the higher cost of other ready-to-eat options - the prices of frozen meals have remained largely unchanged.

"This is just the beginning stage for us all in the frozen meal industry," says Betagro's Vasit. "I believe frozen meals can grow further. Because it is a big Surat Senviboon, S&P's vice president of sales and marketing. industrial operation, we are always able to develop the products while controlling the costs and keeping prices low. Take instant noodles. Ten years ago a pack of noodles cost five baht and today the price is very much the same. Meanwhile, the price of fresh produce keeps increasing.

" Despite the apparently promising future for frozen ready-meals, Tesco Lotus's Pornpen says, "At the end of the day, people still consider frozen food as not being fresh. So, to still cater to customers' need for convenience, we have launched a new ready-to-eat option which is chilled rather than frozen.

The technology we use is a lot more complicated than that for frozen food, but it offers better nutrients than its frozen counterpart. The only disadvantage is the shorter lifespan. The average shelf-life of our chilled meal is 5-6 days." At this moment, Tesco Lotus has more than 50 selections of chilled meal available at all their stores.
 

Vasit Taepaisitphongse, Betagro's chief
operating officer.

Pornpen Nartpiriyarat, Tesco Lotus's
head of trading law.

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