Close×

Woolworths has taken another bite out of the $900 million ready meals pie with the launch of a new range of private label ready-to-heat dishes.

Under the Woolworths Simply moniker, the new meals include Beef Bourguignon cooked in a red wine and garlic sauce, Slow Cooked BBQ Pulled Pork with a hickory-smoked barbecue sauce, and the Roast Chicken with Tomato and Basil Stuffing.

The range includes both meat dishes and sides which take between 45 and 60 mins to cook in the oven.

Vegetable sides include the Simply Steamed Vegetables with Garlic Butter, the Simply Roast Potato Bake with Béchamel Sauce and the Simply Stir Fry Vegetables and Mushroom.

ds

Recommended retail prices range from $3.00 for a Rainbow Stir Fry through to $13.99 for the Slow-cooked Mediterranean Lamb Shanks.

Both Woolworths and Coles have been forging ahead with their private label offerings in the ready meals space, which is reportedly growing at an annual rate of 3.6 per cent in Australia.

Earlier this year, Coles came out with a range of ‘chilled’ meals that have never been frozen', making up a total range of 77 products under the Coles ready-made meal umbrella.

Packaging News

Australia's environment ministers have declared packaging reform urgent and named soft plastics as an initial priority, but offered no firm timetable or regulatory commitments. SPSA has welcomed the soft plastics focus, while Boomerang Alliance and WMRR have raised concerns about the lack of concrete action.

Economic analysis commissioned by SPSA estimates national recycling reforms could deliver up to $278m in net productivity gains and stimulate up to $2.6b in capital investment each year.

A cross-sector open letter is urging national leaders to agree on a pathway for regulated producer responsibility schemes at the September Environment Ministers Meeting.