People may be cooking more in instant pots and air fryers, but the microwave remains the kitchen appliance most people use every day — probably multiple times each day. With the strong demand for convenience, consumers love microwaveable entrees and side dishes. In fact, the global market for microwaveable food is projected to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 4.8 percent through 2026 due to demand for ready-to-eat food, according to a report from EMR.
As a result, meat, poultry, and seafood companies are constantly developing easy-prep products and looking for packaging that will perform in the microwave. The EMR report divides products into three categories: frozen, chilled, and shelf-stable with chilled being the largest and shelf-stable the smallest.