The size of the UK grab-and-go market is around £23 billion (2023).
The market is forecast to grow even though UK consumers are cutting spending overall on eating out.
What is exciting about the OOH grab-and-go market are the developments in sustainable, reusable containers. For the first time, we are seeing stainless steel replace plastic and foils, and what is interesting is Who’s doing the grabbing and going?
Contractors, universities, armed forces, schools, hospitals, and retail operators in supermarkets, shops, and forecourts are all developing grab-and-go offers using stainless steel food containers where the grabbing is done directly by the customer, but also by delivery companies.
The new generation of stainless-steel takeaway food containers opens new possibilities to expand the grab-and-go market because stainless steel containers are much more flexible than traditional packaging.
What is becoming a popular grab-and-delivered package for offices, and anywhere groups gather, is the breakfast or brunch offering of prepared hot foods supplied with electric chafers to keep the food hot during meetings or sports events.
Retailers and delivery operators especially love the GN sizing of stainless-steel containers because they can maximise space in vehicles and on shelves and improve margins. Stainless presents well and has the option of clear plastic reusable lids to display the contents. It is also much more robust, so there is less spillage or damaged goods. GN containers retain heat well when nestled tightly in well-made (Rieber) insulated food transport boxes and lose little heat during transport.
Delivery operators already use Rieber’s insulated food transport boxes inside vehicles. The latest heated boxes – holding food at up to 85 degC – are also used for hot meal delivery, powered by the vehicle itself.
Grab-and-go delivery times are blurring as consumers move away from set mealtimes and more into frequent snacking. In cities and towns serviced by delivery operators, the blur is incentivised by the ease of ordering via delivery apps, which means you can ‘grab’ without leaving the sofa or office chair.
Stainless steel GN containers are an ideal way to present and deliver the food offer for all the reasons above. But – by adding QR codes – these containers facilitate cashless vending and identify the customer, which means operators can avoid using deposit schemes, which nobody wants due to the extra workload involved.
Says managing director, Gareth Newton, “eatTAINABLE is a sustainable option for premium quality grab-and-go food. The containers really set the offer apart, and cashless payment and online ordering options via the QR code are helping build new grab, gone and delivered business, servicing clients in offices, factories, events and at home.”
