Thoughtful Food has launched its new range of RTE convenience light meals in September 2023.
“It was first introduced to a local women only gym, Activ.co with the cartons brought on site sold within an hour,” said Karen Lam, Managing Director of Thoughtful Food Pte Ltd. “These handy light meal pods resonated very well with the consumers as they perfectly meet their needs as ladies leading very busy active lifestyles instead of resorting to guilt-snacking due to limited choices.”
The introduction of the RTE light meals is timely, according to Karen, as almost all plant- based RTE products in the country are frozen products that require further cooking. Whereas in the sports nutrition segment, majority of snacks available are sweet hence leaving a huge gap to fill for savory options. Karen added, “The truth is not everyone like to munch on sweet bars, chocolates or shakes after workouts.”
The RTE light meals contain meat-parity (PDCAAS 1) soy protein and real vegetables, beans and wholegrains without preservatives. Recipes are carefully formulated to meet Singapore’s Health Promotion Board criteria that promotes healthier eating, which includes lower sodium and saturated fat, cholesterol free, rich in protein and higher in wholegrains thereby providing consumers with balanced nutrition without any guilt.
The RTE meals in 160g pods are shelf-stable and can be stored in ambient temperature, so simply peel off the lid & consume anytime, anywhere. Presently, it is available in 3 variants namely Quinoa & Black Rice, Mexican Corn Salad and Southwest Brown Rice. They are available at a retail price of S$5.50 (US$4.11) online and S$6.90 (US$5.15) at selected cafes. From the packaging, it is obvious that soy protein is one of the major ingredients used.
The packaging also highlighted that the product is ‘Good for School, Gym and Travel’. Karen mentioned that ‘people leading busy active lifestyles and travellers as major target consumers. The products are also suitable for gyms, corporate pantries, schools, vending machines, inflight retail as well as outdoor sports retail.’
Thoughtful Foods aim to accelerate the sales and brand awareness for this new product range, and it is currently working on 2 to 3 new Asian inspired options to be ready by 1st quarter 2024. The company is also seeking for regional partners to distribute its products which will eventually help it to scale up its production. In the near future, Thoughtful also intends to dive deeper into functional or upcycled ingredients via collaboration with universities or local tech companies.
