What’s  Special About Chilled Foods

The UK chilled food sector is unique because UK chilled foods are

1. Unpreserved – hygiene and safety is critical, assured by:-
   • HACCP from farm to fork
   • Traceability of raw materials
   • Temperature control
   • Short shelf life
2. Generally multicomponent, e.g. pizzas, sandwiches, ready meals, soups, salads, sushi
3. Prepared:-
   • Ready to eat
   • Ready to reheat
   • Ready to cook
4. Made to order:-
   • JIT (just in time) systems – short production runs
   • Often made on the day of delivery to retailers
5. Made of seasonal raw materials, but production is year-round so we use pan-global sources meeting UK standards
6. >95% retailer own label foods – manufacturers have exceptionally close partnerships with retailers

See also:

• Chilled bites – nuggets about chilled food, and the industry that produces it, to chew over