In this special feature, the Leaders Council of Great Britain & Northern Ireland looks into the platform behind the packaging solution which has redefined the concept of ready meals and being used to help feed the sick and vulnerable in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak.
Described as the next dimension of straight-to-plate food, this single serve meal packaging is made possible by patented Torus Pak technology, which allows for polypropylene meal trays to be individually filled and unlike conventional ready meal trays, is opened up from the bottom, meaning that it is both more hygienic and makes for better aesthetic presentation of ready meals. It is suitable for freezing and microwaving and compatible with almost every packaging line.
Torus Pak is already a standard packaging used by two major NHS suppliers, meaning it is utilised in 20 countries and over 200 hospitals worldwide as a solution.
The platform behind the award-winning Torus Pak is the digital portal created by Maltese firm Romy Foods.
Romy Foods was founded in 2011, with the mission of reducing food waste worldwide. The concept has since become a solution which encompasses the entire value chain in the provision of ready meals.
Fuelled by this philosophy, Romy Foods has created its own global food programme: A Meal for A Meal, with the aim of tackling world hunger. Using its product, Romy Foods has been able to provide over a million meals to children in Africa under the programme.
The solution itself is based on centralised cooking of frozen meals which are then packaged in the Torus Pak trays. Clients are able to access frozen meals from all manufacturers who have linked up through the Romy portal.
The NHS suppliers who use Torus Pak will have accessed the product in this way.
The portal is currently the only digital multilingual platform created for the catering and foodservice industry that has the capability to connect food manufacturers worldwide in one place. Clients can sell ready-to-eat meals presented on a china plate as either a product or a service, and can access a vast range of dishes produced by a wide range of manufacturers.
Institutions, authorities, hospitals and meal providers can acquire the product as an affordable plated meal through the BonCulina brand, as demand is likely to increase throughout the course of the pandemic. The aim beyond that is to eventually make it possible for the product to even be delivered to homes.
It suffices to say that this product, established to help fulfil a charitable cause, certainly has a bright future.
