William Saurin – a French producer of premium ready meals – and Crown Food Europe are joining together with two Michelin star chef Olivier Bellin to demonstrate a canned ready meal concept. The collaboration between the three parties will highlight the possibility of creating high-quality, tasty, nutritious and sustainable meals packaged in cans.

Crown’s metal packaging plays an integral role in locking in the ingredients’ flavor and nutritional values, extending shelf life and adding convenience of use for consumers.

“Crown has a pivotal role in the packaging of these premium products,” says Vincent Miginiac, chief strategy and marketing officer at William Saurin. 

“We all share in the belief that metal is the preferred sustainable packaging option that is perfect for these types of ready meals.”

Canned food concept 
“The concept we are testing today demonstrates the superior qualities of canned food. By combining the best ingredients, recipe, process and packaging, consumers have access to tasty and nutritionally balanced meals,” explains Laetitia Durafour, marketing director of Crown Food Europe.

“The cans have been customized for this new product and like all our packaging, deliver on convenience, safety and recyclability.”

The 400 g cans housing the ready meals feature a peelable opening and a lid with a clip-on hook, allowing for a clean and convenient opening that can be re-closed. 

Thus, consumers can manage portion control effortlessly, adapting to appetites, both small and big.

The menu
Ferrandi Paris – the French School of Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management – is playing host to the three partners alongside journalists and other guests ready for a day of culinary excellence and gusto centered around canned ready meals. 

Chef Bellin had “carte blanche” to create a menu of two new recipes: Duck Pot au Feu and a vegetarian meal of buckwheat quinoa with glazed carrots, ginger and thyme butter. 

While the meals are being prepared, nutritionist Ysabelle Levasseur will share how canned foods can deliver health benefits that are on par with those of fresh foods. 

“The dishes we have developed are the result of sustained work and attention to detail of everyone involved in this collaboration,” says Miginiac. 

“Chef Olivier Bellin came to our laboratories several times to exchange on the combination and ratio of ingredients needed to achieve a perfectly balanced result.”

The R&D teams at William Saurin sterilized and finalized the recipes with the chef. 

Commenting on the Duck Pot au Feu, Levasseur says: “This recipe is not only tasty but above all, is well balanced in terms of nutrition. It can be a main course for one or two people, with the total portion containing less than 530 calories – constituting a normal energy intake during a meal.”

Ready meals and eco-friendly packaging 
Ready meals are increasingly catering to a broader range of consumers’ nutritional demands, from weight loss to healthy aging and personalization. 

Earlier this month, Nutrisystem, a Tivity Health brand, debuted a biodegradable fresh-frozen cooler for its weight loss meal plans. The new packaging is up to 92 percent biodegradable over four years, according to the American Society for Testing and Materials D5511 standard.

Moreover, eco-friendly packaging is increasingly spotlighted in new launches, lining up with consumers’ calls for sustainability.

In this space, HelloFresh, a global meal kit service provider, selected Tetra Pak’s Tetra Recart carton package in European markets for its environmentally-friendly offering.

Last September, UK retailer Asda’s 97 fresh ready meal lines transitioned into “Evolve” tray packaging by Faerch, which are made from natural crystallized polyethylene terephthalate (cPET) – a form of detectable and recyclable plastic.

Farmdrop, a UK online grocer focusing on food sourced by local farmers, fisheries and other producers, launched its new Made By Farmdrop range of pre-prepared breakfast, lunch and dinner meals made with seasonal ingredients wrapped in 100 percent plastic-free packaging.

UK grocer Waitrose & Partners announced plans to extend its packaging-free shopping experience – dubbed “Unpacked.” The chain also committed to introducing elements of the concept at three more establishments by the end of 2019.

Last year, Waitrose & Partners also launched an Italian ready-meal range in new fiber-based trays from Finnish food packaging supplier Huhtamaki. The trays – called Fresh – are microwaveable and ovenable and provide a more sustainable alternative to black plastic.