The Science Behind Ready to Eat Foods: Why They’re Great for Business

Since less than 3% of Americans live a healthy lifestyle, it’s more important than ever that people are encouraged to eat right. As most of these people spend their days in the office or at other workplace facilities, a lot of change can occur simply by changing their eating habits while at work.

Ready to eat foods are a great way to boost your business by keeping workers happy, healthy, and productive. Here, we’re going to look at these meals and why they’re essential, so read on for some ways to encourage healthier employees and a healthier business.

What Are Ready to Eat Foods?

Ready to eat (RTE) food is, at the most basic level, food that doesn’t need to be cooked or reheated before serving. While many people may think of microwaveable meals as ready to eat, they are not included under the RTE food umbrella. This is because they require even the smallest amount of additional preparation before consumption on the part of the consumer.

There are many types of RTE foods, including:

• Raw produce does not require washing on the consumer’s part (pre-washed lettuce, apples, etc.)
• Produce that does not require any washing whatsoever (oranges, bananas, etc.)
• Produce that was previously cooked and stored to be eaten cold or at room temperature
• Animal products that are pre-cooked and stored so that the consumer does not need to prepare them (beef jerky, cheese, raw fish as would be eaten in sushi, etc.)
• Bakery items that don’t require further cooking (bread, muffins, etc.)
• Pre-assembled sandwiches

Basically, if you can safely pop it into your mouth right away after opening the package, it constitutes an RTE food.

How Can They Help Your Business?

Now that you understand what RTE foods are, you likely are wondering how they can help your business.

First, they save employees time on food preparation that could be better spent completing other tasks. A microwaveable meal or bowl of leftovers that need three minutes to heat up in the microwave may not appear to waste a lot of time, but three minutes each day adds up quickly. You can easily boost productivity by providing workers with RTE meals.

Speaking of efficiency, switching exclusively to ready to eat foods can save you money on gas and electricity. You will not have as many people using the microwave and therefore bolstering your electric bill. You also will save storage space because RTE meals are small and do not require a refrigerator or freezer to sit in the office.

Additionally, RTE foods are eco-friendly. This is especially the case when you choose plant-based foods that do not require unnecessary energy and carbon to produce. If your entire office switches to ready to eat meals, your business can do its part to save the environment. Additionally, since many companies run green initiatives, you may get corporate benefits when you switch to RTE diets.

Providing employees with RTE meals also will serve to boost their satisfaction. It may seem counterintuitive to think that paying for employee’s lunches will boost ROI, but workers will be willing to work harder because they feel valued. Additionally, because interest in RTE food is surging in recent years, you will be giving these people something that they are excited about during their workday.

Are RTE Foods Healthy?

As we brushed on earlier, ready to eat foods are incredibly healthy. Most microwaveable meals and processed food items are devoid of nutrients but are rather chock-full of preservatives and sugars. When you get plant-based RTE meals, you don’t need to worry that your food has been heaped with artificial flavors and chemicals.

This is because RTE meals are primarily made up of fresh fruits and vegetables. They may be prepared in multiple ways- chickpeas ground up into hummus, grains made into wheat bread, and strawberries mushed up into natural jelly- but they are wholesome and fresh nonetheless. You do not need to worry that they were loaded up with sodium or sugar to make them last.

At this point, you probably are wondering if you will be paying astronomical fees to keep your employees happy and healthy. Luckily, this is not the case! You can get meals in bulk for low prices and can accommodate allergies and dietary restrictions as well.

Providing employees with meals costs money, but it ultimately will save you more on electric bills and lost work time. You also will be able to ensure that the meals they consume are healthy and that they will, therefore, not succumb to the sluggishness and fatigue that come after eating excessive fats and sugars.

This keeps people able to work for more extended periods of time without becoming tired and losing productivity. Since happy employees are productive employees, you will reap the benefits of better work culture and environment.

Order Ready to Eat Foods

While there are many ways that people can get nutritious meals while at work, nothing can compare to ready-made foods when it comes to taste and convenience.

Now that you know why ready to eat foods are excellent for your business, it’s time to begin ordering them. Contact us with any more questions that you may have about these meals or to order them for yourself and your employees. We’re committed to helping you get healthy and delicious meals at a reasonable price, so we look forward to you reaching out.