Module Title: Developing Food Concepts and Products

Task 1 Brief

Module Title: Developing Food Concepts and Products

Assessment Title: Research and Development Portfolio

Individual /Group: Individual

Weighting and Word Count: 100% 6,000 word count equivalent

Submission Date: 20/04/23 by 3.00pm

Context:

The retailer, Freshco are developing a new premium ready meal range and would like you to create a new product that can directly compete with other major retailers on quality and price. To do this successfully, you will need to research the current market to understand competition and identify new development opportunities.

Assessment Task 1: Portfolio:

1. Provide evidence of the UK's chilled 'Ready Meal ' market performance.

2. Carry out a store audit on chilled 'Ready Meals' with particular focus on the product you have been allocated in your benchmark practical. From this information you should be able to identify gaps/trends in the current market and potential development opportunities for Freshco. Guidance of how to carry out a store audit will be given in the lecture w/c 6th February.

3. Taking inspiration from your research, create a new premium product concept that would fit into Freshcos ready meal range. Capture your development journey by writing up your practical findings. Justify how your product concept will drive market share for Freshco within this category. Consider: target market, appropriate RSP and the brief criteria.

4. Include final product costings, your store audit spreadsheet, and your final product Quality Attribute Sheet.

Word count: the equivalent of 6,000 words including charts and tables.

.

Portfolio Assessment Guide 2023

Section 1: Overview of the UK Chilled Ready Meal market:

Word count guide: 500 words including tables and graphs.

How will you provide evidence of the UK's chilled 'Ready Meal' market performance?

How big is this market in terms of sales value/volume? Predicted Y on Y growth?

Where are the growth areas?

How can you display this information?

Where will you get this information from?

Section 2: Store audit summary: Word count guide: 300 including tables. A Copy of your store audit should be uploaded as a separate submission to blackboard as a spreadsheet.

Carry out a store audit to support the development of the ready meal you are working on (Mac and cheese /Lamb hot pot/ Chicken Tikka Masala or Vegetable pasta bake). Visit the following stores or their on-line shopping sites (Waitrose, M and S, Tesco, Morrisons, Asda , Aldi and Sainsburys) to record key marketing information to help inform the development of your product. Guidance on how to gather this information will be provided in the lecture in w/c 6th of February. Provide a summary of your findings and identify any potential development gaps/ opportunities.

Section 3. Practical write ups: Word count guidance including tables 3,000

You have x 3 product development practical sessions:

X 1 w/c 20th or 27th of February: involves recreating the value product that you were given in the benchmark practical session in w/c the 23rd or 30th of January.

X 2 w/c 6th or 13th of March: Improving your product to make it a premium version

X 3 w/c 20th or 27th of March: Continuing to improve your product to make it a premium version:

Each practical write should include:

Practical title and date

Practical aim what do you hope to achieve?

Objectives: What actions do you need to take to achieve your aim?

Product recipe and manufacturing method

Sensory evaluation:

Summary of practical findings including the changes required to further progress your product and meet the Frescho brief criteria. Consider:

alternative / substitute ingredients,

weights and measures of ingredient

alternative methods / processes,

- design

- Sensory

How will these changes impact on:

costings

quality

shelf life

nutrition- include nutritional data

overall consumer perception

Quality Attribute Sheet:

Using the skills provided in your practical session week 28 (w/c 6th of February) produce a quality attribute sheet for your final product.

Costing Spreadsheet and brief justification

Please note: Support on how to conduct a basic costing exercise on your product will be provided in week 29 (w/c 31/02/23). Please provide a brief justification of your product costing and profit margins. Word count guidance: approx.: 200

References: Please include any references you have used to support your product development progress.

Benchmarking price list

Aldi

Tomato & Mozzerella bake 2.49 0.62 per 100g

Mac & Cheese 2.49 0.62 per 100g

Chicken Tikka Masala 2.49 0.62 per 100g

Lamb Hotpot 2.49 0.62 per 100g

Tesco

Tomato & Mozzerella Bake 3.00 0.75 per 100g

Mac & Cheese 3.00 0.75 per 100g

Chicken Tikka Masala 3.00 0.75 per 100g

Lamb Hotpot 3.00 0.75 per 100g

M&S

Chargrilled Vegetable bake 5.25 0.66 per 100g

Mac & Cheese 3.50 0.87 per 100g

Chicken Tikka Masala 4.00 1.00 per 100g

Lamb Hotpot 4.50 1.00 per 100g