UNFI Adds Meal Kits, Frozen Meals to Meet Growing Demand
United Natural Foods, Inc. has added two meal solutions – meal kits and frozen meals – to its offering to better allow retailers to meet the growing demand for quick, restaurant quality meals, while reducing in-store labor and the time required to create similar products on their own. The meal solutions are available nationwide to the more than 30,000 customer locations UNFI services.
The on-trend meal solutions, fresh meal kits from Cook•Able and flash-frozen meals from Cadence Kitchen, allow UNFI to quickly deliver additional high quality product choices that help customers differentiate their offerings at a time when consumers increasingly rely on their local retailer for meal options.
“With consumers continuing to favor eating at home versus away, retailers are looking to offer delicious and effortless products to time-challenged consumers that replicate the restaurant experience at budget friendly pricing,” said Jody Barrick, vice president of Bakery/Deli at UNFI. “These chef-inspired offerings from Cook•Able and Cadence Kitchen give retailers a fast, delicious and reasonably priced turnkey experience, affording their teams additional time to focus on serving their customers.”
The fresh, simple and flavorful meal kits from Cook•Able feature quick and convenient recipes with pre-portioned ingredients that serve 2-4 individuals and are ready in 20-25 minutes. Shelf stable for 14 days and available at a suggested retail price of $12.99 to $19.99, the meal kits come in familiar flavors, including:
- Chipotle Chicken Tacos
- Creamy Bacon & Parmesan Pasta with Broccoli
- Hot Honey Chicken with Seared Garlic Broccoli and BBQ Roasted Potatoes
- Mediterranean Chicken with Olives, Feta & Rice
- Pan Seared Orange Chicken with Broccoli
- Tuscan Herb Chicken in a Creamy Parmesan Sauce
- Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowls with Broccoli & Peanuts
- Weeknight Chicken Pad Thai with Broccoli and Peanuts
With a wide range of international menu items, creative flavor profiles and thoughtfully sourced ingredients, Cadence Kitchen meals go from flash-frozen to ready-to-eat in 15 minutes or less. Designed to provide consumers with planning flexibility, the following frozen entrees and sides are available at a suggested retail price of $5.99 to $9.99.
Entrees:
- American Beef Stew
- Chicken and Andouille Sausage Jambalaya
- Chicken Tikka Masala
- Five Cheese Pasta (Fiocchetti) in Bolognese Sauce
- Gluten Free BBQ Mac and Cheese
- Lobster Tortellini
- Prime Rib Stroganoff
- Prime Rib Beef and Broccoli
- Prime Rib with Mushroom Gravy
- Shrimp Scampi
Sides:
- Four Cheese Mac and Cheese
- Mexican Style Street Corn
- Vegan Latin Bowl
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SEG Launches Drive for Red Cross Hurricane Relief
Southeastern Grocers Inc. is launching a community donation program benefiting hurricane relief via the American Red Cross (Spanish site) to raise funds in preparation of peak season. Customers can help equip the nonprofit by donating $1, $5 or simply rounding up their grocery bill while shopping their local Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie stores through Sept. 27.
According to the National Hurricane Center, mid-August to mid-October is considered the most active months of hurricane season with the peak approaching on Sept. 10. Every dollar donated through SEG’s community donation program will help support Red Cross Disaster Relief, which provides essential aid to those affected by disasters across the country, including food, shelter, relief supplies, emotional support, recovery planning and other assistance.
Raymond Rhee, chief people officer for Southeastern Grocers, said, “As a grocer serving five coastal states in the Southeast, our communities have weathered many storms and we know firsthand the devastation that hurricanes leave in their wake. Storm recovery takes a village, and a big part of that village is the Red Cross. It’s vital we ensure our relief organizations are well equipped when disaster strikes because it can mean the difference between life and death. Every dollar donated at our registers will go toward American Red Cross Disaster Relief to support communities in their greatest times of need.”
SEG has a long-standing partnership with the Red Cross, a national nonprofit whose mission is preventing and alleviating human suffering in the face of emergencies through the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors. Last year, SEG, together with the SEG Gives Foundation and generous customers, donated more than $815,000 to aid and support disaster relief efforts.
Donations to Red Cross hurricane relief enable the organization to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small. Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie customers can conveniently donate in their local stores through Sept. 27 to support communities and the nonprofit’s mission.
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HKW Recapitalizes Golden Country Oriental Food, Golden Ocean Seafood
HKW has recapitalized Golden Country Oriental Food LLC and its wholly owned subsidiary, Golden Ocean Seafood Inc. The Lee family will remain significant investors in the company, and the management team will remain in place.
Golden Country is a distributor of authentic ethnic foods primarily servicing the grocery, wholesale, and foodservice channels. It is a distributor of frozen seafood servicing the same channels. The company carries more than 3,500 dry, refrigerated, and frozen SKUs sourced from over 20 countries.
“The Lee family has built a tremendous business,” said John Carsello, Partner at HKW. “We have a long track record in specialty distribution and believe we can be a value-added partner for Golden Country as the business enters its next growth phase.”
“From our beginnings as a small grocery store in the early 70s servicing customers in Chicago’s Chinatown, we have grown to service customers throughout the Midwest,” said Sidney Lee, CEO. “This new partnership with John Carsello and his team will enable Golden Country to achieve our ambitious growth objectives and continue to provide our customers with the best product selection at affordable prices.”
“Golden Country is poised to benefit from market and demographic trends and is in a good position to accelerate expansion through add-on acquisitions,” said Michael Terrell, Vice President at HKW. “We intend to use a comparable playbook at Golden Country as we have in the past on similar investments.”
Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP served as legal counsel to HKW. G2 Capital Advisors, LLC acted as exclusive financial advisor to Golden Country.
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