In today’s fast-paced world, ready-to-eat foods and ready-to-cook products have invaded our daily lives and become an essential component of our daily meals. You choose them typically from shop shelves or eat them quickly on busy workdays, but do you truly know the difference between them? In fact, many individuals may have a limited understanding of the definitions and characteristics of these two modern foods, as well as their packaging needs.
Ready-to-Eat Food
Ready-to-eat food (RTE) is food that can be consumed right away without needing to be cleaned, heated, or cooked. In simple terms, you can start enjoying it right away after you open the package. You may be familiar with ready-to-eat items such as beef jerky, cheese, pickles, and numerous snacks found on shop shelves.
Ready-to-Cook Food
Ready-to-cook products (RTC) are also known as prepackaged meals or readymade food. RTC food has a wide range of categories, including conventional seasoned steaks, frozen dumplings, and self-heating dishes, which have grown in popularity over the years. Their distinctive trait is that they should be eaten after a simple cooking. However, if you are new to cooking, you do not need to be concerned about failing. As this level of cooking is relatively simple, and the needed heating temperature and time will be listed on the packaging, you are unlikely to make a mistake.
In order to better understand the difference between ready-to-eat foods and ready-to-cook products, let us explore their unique features.
- Definition
Ready-to-eat food is those that can be consumed immediately after unwrapping. Ready-to-cook food is produced from one or more ingredients, and the main raw material should be processed or cooked before consumption.
- Processing Degree
Ready-to-eat food does not require any additional processing and can be consumed directly. Ready-to-cook food can only be eaten after it has been heated, cooked, or otherwise processed.
- Preservation Method
Ready-to-eat food typically requires refrigeration or freezing for storage and has a shorter shelf life. Ready-to-cook food is preserved using rapid freezing or other preservation technologies, resulting in a prolonged shelf life.
- Applicable Setting
Ready-to-eat food is ideal for those who lead a busy lifestyle or want a quick snack. Ready-to-cook food is suitable for home cooking, takeout, restaurants, and other situations.
- Food Safety
Ready-to-eat food requires careful attention to food safety and avoidance of expired products. In order to ensure food safety, ready-to-cook food needs careful consideration of food processing technology, raw material selection, and so on.
- Flexibility
Ready-to-eat food is typically limited in flavour and has fixed ingredient choices. Ready-to-cook food is more adaptable and can be tailored to individual tastes and needs.
Packaging Requirements for Ready-Made Meals
Food packaging rules are stringent in all countries for food safety reasons. Packaging of ready-to-eat foods must ensure that the food doesn’t spoil or change flavour during its shelf life. It is preferable if it is also made of renewable, eco-friendly materials.
The packaging requirements for ready-to-cook items are even higher as they are usually directly involved in the cooking process. If you consider cup noodles, for instance, since they need to be filled with water and heat for preparation, the paper container will need a waterproof PE coating on the inside wall to avoid water leaks. This coating must ensure that when heated, it does not emit substances that are harmful to human health. Moreover, it should not worsen the strain on paper recycling.
In recent years, the most popular pre-made foods have mainly used plastic bag packaging, which allows for longer-term direct boiling in water. Similar to self-heating hot pots and rice, its plastic containers must be able to endure the high temperature generated by the heating bag.
A-PLUS Food Ready-to-Cook Products for Your Convenience
A-Plus Food, with its collection of high-quality ready-to-cook products, is committed to revolutionising the way you cook and eat. Their frozen assortment is meticulously produced to deliver flavour, quality, and convenience right to your doorstep. Their ready-to-eat products, which also include frozen Japanese Gyoza, frozen Xiao Long Pau and frozen Japanese Meatballs, are designed to reduce prep time while enhancing flavour. You can simply remove them from the freezer, prepare them as directed, and, in a matter of minutes, enjoy a fine dining experience. To learn more, visit their website today!