A new frozen ready meals brand recently debuted in the United States on October 10, with further distribution of Eathos traditional Italian comfort foods planned for 2022. For now, there are six products – of which five are vegetarian entrees and four feature plant-based vegan recipes – all imported from Parma, Italy, available in the freezer aisles of approximately 800 Target stores.
Watsonville, California-based Eathos has partnered with a family-owned, third-generation Italian company to create a line of frozen entrees that embraces the ethos of both Italy and America, pairing old world traditions with recipes designed for the modern palate. Among current offerings are Vegetarian Ravioli + Marinara, Spiral Pasta + Pesto, Kale, and Potato Gnocchi + Pesto, and Bolognese-style Vegan Lasagna.
Gene Grant, brand director of Eathos Foods, said the new products capitalize on the trend toward meat alternative options while maintaining the flavor profile that comes directly from traditional Italian recipes.
“Italy has an authentic culinary ethos that is hard to match,” commented Grant. “We collaborated with our friends, partners, and chefs in Italy to create plant-based and protein-rich meals that do not sacrifice any of that wonderful old world flavor.”
Frozen food sales have surely been trending upward in the USA. According to the American Frozen Food Institute, the category was enjoying a surge in popularity even before government-imposed coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) lockdowns prompted consumers to stock up on products with long shelf lives.
Industry experts point to a number of trends that should continue t propel the frozen category: advanced food preservation technologies, more flavor diversity, environmental benefits, and new products that appeal to health-conscious consumers.
“We’re using healthy ingredients like kale with our spiral pasta, cauliflower in our gnocchi, and a whole bunch of garden veggies in our penne pasta,” said Grant.
There’s also a demographic shift contributing to the category’s growth. This is clearly seen in the rising desire for convenience products among Generation Z consumers and Millennials who don’t want to cook every meal from scratch but at the same time won’t sacrifice on flavor or quality.
“It’s convenience without compromise,” Grant said. “With premium frozen entrees you don’t have to sacrifice flavor for convenience.”
Believing that parents will appreciate the mindful ingredients used in Eathos products, the brand director commented: “They are not going to feed their kids food they’re not comfortable with when they read the ingredients list.”
Eathos specifies plant-based ingredients, plus high quality cheeses from Parma (the heart of the Italian food valley) in its vegetarian entrees. There are no GMOs, no artificial flavors, and all recipes contain significantly lower sodium than many similar entrees in the category that are on the market.
