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Feature -- By Karen Rocznik
Throw out those recipe books. Get rid of that space-gobbling oven.
Welcome to the world of Home Meal Replacement or HMR. With more and more families busy with work, soccer practice and conflicting schedules, something just had to give. Say farewell to the days of the home cooked meal and enter "just-heat-up-in-seconds."
If your idea of HMR is limited to nuking up a pizza pop in a matter of
seconds, think again. Today, HMR items can range from fully prepared gourmet meals found in specialty shops, to pot roasts and mashed potatoes found in your local grocery store. So, why all the hype and more importantly, why should I care?
Well, if you were as in tuned to this phenomenon as I, you would know that
HMR accounts for almost $14 billion of supermarket sales in Canada and the U.S. Grocers like Safeway, Superstore and the mom-and-pop variety chains like Macs and 7-11 are all coming out with their own line of HMR products. Jobs in preparing this food, marketing its appeal and convenience to unsuspecting customers (ie: free samples) are all ways for young people to get involved in this trend.
Now, have I got your brain buzzing a bit? Think of how YOU could profit by
looking at all the ways HMR could be applied.
- Start up a HMR counter at your local university or college. How many
students would love to trade in their freeze-dried burrito for a home-cooked chicken
dinner, complete with all the fixin's.
- Pitch the idea to your local grocer. See if you can set up a counter with
your food items.
- Bake sales, Bingo nights and Barmitzvahs oh my!
- Take out an add in your local church bulletin or school newspaper
offering yummy treats without the hassle of preparing them.
- ...And for the really ambitious...start up your own HMR business. Caution:
This article does not qualify as market research - Do your homework
Finally, you might want to start out offering your food for free or to
family and friends. People may be wary of taking food from strangers. If your gift for the culinary arts proves to satisfy, word will spread. Some things to think about...
- Most HMR meals range from $5 to $6 per person
- The preparation of some meals can be extremely labor-intensive. In other
words, don't do gourmet if you're a meat n' potatoes kind of person. Stick with what you know.
- The consumer must perceive HMR products as balanced, wholesome and a
good value.
- Finally, HMR venues must be fast. Research indicates that customers
expect to wait no more than five minutes in line and one to two minutes for their order.
Well, that's some "food for thought." Good luck with your new-found HMR
prospects. Happy cooking!
For more info on HMR check out the following sites:
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