NEW RANGE OF PREPARED MEALS COOKS FOR RALEY'S

PAMELA BLAMEY

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Raley's Supermarkets here is seeing moderate but positive movement with a new range of prepared entrees merchandised out of the meat department.

According to Joe Sisneros, vice president of perishables, the entrees, supplied premade by an outside food-service firm called Mallard's, Modesto, Calif., are part of a larger trend in prepared meal options making their mark in his meat cases.

"There are a lot of other products coming into the market. You really have to talk about meal solutions as a department or a section within a department now. Every week we're presented with new products."

Most recently, Raley's has added poultry and seafood programs to the mix, competing directly with Mallard products, Sisneros said.

"Plus, we've got the microwavable or heat and eat products, and then we have a lot of other marinated items that are ready to cook." He named 28 other items in the meat department alone that he would characterize as meal solutions.

"Mallard's has got their work cut out for them, but they have a quality product, it tastes really good," he said.

Mallard's line, positioned as restaurant quality, is "doing well," he added.

"It was a little slow at the beginning, but we expected that. I think some of the consumers felt it was a little bit pricey at the beginning, but as they tried and found quality good, we've been seeing repeat sales."

Raley's financed a television commercial on its own to publicize the products, which stimulated

some additional sales, he said. (For more on Mallard's program, see SN, May 20.)

"We're now experiencing a little bit of a lull, but that always happens," he noted. "You break it with radio and TV publicity, and then you hit a slowdown afterwards. But it's definitely starting to catch on."

Sisneros said that this is just one of several success stories he has recently witnessed. He said he believes the meal solutions phenomenon is not merely a fad, but the product of a new way of living and cooking that is going to change the way fresh food is merchandised.

"I think that eventually what's going to be much better for consumers is if you have a display case where customers can see everything there is to buy -- a Meal Solutions case."

There will be conflicts, he acknowledged, when it comes to deciding which products get pulled from their traditional departments, such as prepared salads from produce, hot entrees from the deli and ready-to-cook or marinated products from the meat department.

"But I think when all is over and done with, there are going to be category managers handling those specific items."

Sisneros said he has great expectations for the meal solutions phenomenon overall.

"It's exciting, because the convenience and quality and taste are so great. When they first started presenting these products to us they weren't all that good, but they're the kind of things you'd be really proud to serve."