FROZEN VENDING
Freezing your budget
As summer winds down and the nights begin to close in, British consumers will be replacing icy cold bottles of water and smoothies with cosy, milky cappuccinos, lattés and flat whites. However, there is more to frozen vending than ice creams - its possibilities extend into the winter months as well… Vending International reports
The age of Amazon and the rise of budget digital services have increased expectation of next day service provision. This means that the 9-5 workday is in increasingly in decline, and this, in turn, means that employers need to provide out of hours workers with somewhere that they can purchase snacks, drinks and meals. Running a canteen around the clock is not financially viable on the budget of most small to medium sized businesses, and with larger businesses increasingly having to justify and reduce their budgets, a self-service vending option can provide an ideal cost-effective alternative. Eliminating the need for a staffed canteen
and all the associated costs, a vending machine that can store, sell and heat frozen meals is a low maintenance, low cost service. If set up in conjunction with a hot drinks machine, it can provide a completely self- contained canteen solution that can address a full range consumer preferences, from snacks to full meals, healthy options to free-from alternatives. Bryan Simpson of specialist used vending
supplier Sell a Vend got in touch with VI to talk about frozen vending. He said: “Over the years we’ve seen vending machines come on in leaps and bounds, entering into every market possible. With the improvement in quality and preparation of the latest generation of packaged frozen foods, it’s no wonder that the vending industry has seen an increase in the demand for frozen food vending machines. Most consumers are familiar with, and used to, preparing frozen/microwave meals in today’s world of ready meals and convenience foods. The long ‘use- by’ dates on frozen foods make them a win-win situation for both the customer and operator. For example if the consumer is working nights and weekends, they can still enjoy a quality meal when canteens are not in operation thanks to vending machines like the
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USI Alpine 3000 and GPE Frozen Maxi Store. The Maxi Store also has its own large internal storage freezer.”
PLANNING FOR NEXT SUMMER As we head into autumn, it is a great time for operators and facilities managers to re-evaluate their summer offering ready for summer 2017. With vending technology constantly improving, innovations like cashless payment systems and powerful cloud based reporting systems can keep operators informed in real time. Bryan continued: “Alerts can now also be sent to operators warning of power failure or inconsistent temperature change inside the machine, not to mention the ‘use-by’ alerts that can be set to inform when products approach their expiration date. All of this has opened up the game for vendors who want to sell items such as ice creams and paninis; they can now do that with machines like the GPE DRX Frozen Master on the market.” Vending operators planning to invest in a
frozen food service, or update their current offering, should ensure they include healthy options. “Boosting the nutritional benefits of prepared meals can tap into the current high interest in ‘positive nutrition’ foods while helping to overturn the typically unhealthy
image of these products. Within this, vegetables, superfoods, whole grains and ancient grains can play an increasingly important role, as well as foodie health trend such as spiralising and ‘faux carbs,’” said Mintel senior food analyst Emma Clifford. Premiumisation and health emerged as key trends in prepared
meals sector, aiming to overturn negative perceptions in terms of quality and healthiness. It is a great time to take advantage of these changing perceptions, as well as demand for a quality out of hours offering.
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