Fi Europe takes place in Paris this year the European capital of gourmet cuisine. From 29 November, representatives from the international food industry will descend on the city and its many restaurants where they can experience famous French cooking at its best.
But, while all that is going on, the choice of evening meal for the majority of the French population will probably reflect another reality where most men and women have a fulltime job and where, if they choose a traditional dish at all, it is most likely to be a frozen ready meal.
“In the past, people often went to gourmet restaurants or cooked elaborate food at home, says manager of Arla Foods Ingredients’ Paris office, Vincent Goulois,
pictured left. Now people want something that is easy, fast and preferably microwaveable. Gourmet food is for the weekends.
Over the past decade, demand for Arla Foods Ingredients’ solutions has grown within the dairy, nutritional and ready meal sectors. French yogurt is one of the growth areas.
There is a huge tradition for eating or drinking dairy products. France is among the countries with the highest per capita consumption, and several French yogurt manufacturers are known all over the world. The export of know-how helps to shape yogurt products elsewhere, says Vincent Goulois.
Within the French ready meal industry, cooking traditions are combined with new trends. Many brands are linked with the name of a well-known chef.
Coq au vin, ragout and many other traditional dishes are becoming lighter and less rich, Vincent Goulois explains. Our ingredients are used for both functional and nutritional reasons.
So while visitors to Fi Europe sample gourmet French cooking in a Parisian restaurant, the taste of everyday French food is now more likely to be found on a supermarket shelf.