A new range of ready meals has been launched that contains all 5 recommended portions of your 5-a-day.
DONE meals was developed with the support of a fund launched by Food and Drink Federation Scotland, in partnership with Interface, and with specialist help from the Scottish Centre for Food Development and Innovation at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh.
The Healthier Product Innovation Fund covered the cost of initial prototyping and scale up assistance. This initial assistance proved product concept and allowed the company to progress to the next stage.
DONE meals are delivered frozen to preserve freshness and reduce wastage. Dishes include Vietnamese Ragu Ga, Smoked Chipotle Chilli – both a beef and a vegan version, Moroccan Tagine – which is vegan, Tortiglioni Bolgnese, Brisket Beef Bourguignon, and a Chicken and Chorizo Estofado.
Paul Mason, Co-founder and Creative Director of DONE, said: “I was delighted when I realised it was possible to get all 5 portions of veg or fruit into a single, delicious meal.
“We understand that doing what you can, when you can – little bits here and there, can make a massive difference to our dietary health. That’s where DONE comes in. If we can help people save time, eat well, and ultimately feel better, that’ll be job done for us.”
Joanne Burns, FDF Scotland’s Reformulation for Health Manager, said: “I am delighted to see the launch of DONE meals, providing healthy, nutritious and convenient meals for all.
“Increasing your intake of fruit and vegetables is such a crucial part of a healthy diet and it is essential that food manufacturers strive to increase their content.
“Most people fall 11 portions short of the recommended weekly intake of fruits and vegetables. These 5-a-day ready meals can help provide the boost that many need.
“The success of this project and the wider Healthier Product Innovation Fund proves the importance for continued funding for innovative academic partnership projects to improve the health of Scotland’s products and people.”
Howell Davies, Interface’s Head of Strategic Programmes, said: “DONE had the vision and ambition to develop a range of healthier ready meals to take to market with access to the support we have in Scotland such as the Healthier Product Innovation Fund to collaborate with the excellent academic expertise and facilities we have available here.
“In this case with the team at Queen Margaret University who were up for a challenge and relished supporting the development to make it viable from a commercial and scale up perspective to take to market.”
