Convenience foods are rarely nutritious, and even more rarely appropriate for people who eat plant-based diets. Now Israeli food tech startup Cham Foods has launched a line of dry, ready-to-eat pulses and grains for instant meals and soups.
Cham Foods says its new line maintains the full flavor and texture of grains and legumes. Whereas most pre-cooked legumes and grains undergo long, multi-step processing that leaves them overcooked and looking smashed, its new offerings showcase the nutritious foodstuffs' complete forms.
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Cham starts in the fields, working with select suppliers and growers, to bring consumers high-quality, non-GMO, conventional or organic legumes and whole grains that comply with the highest safety control standards.
The company then employs freeze-drying and pre-drying processes that keep the products as close to fresh as possible, without additives. Cham's instant meals offer a long shelf life at ambient temperatures.
"Our RTE [ready-to-eat] precooked pulses and grains can easily be integrated into any instant hotpot, saving time and labor for both food companies and consumers, taking the instant meal concept to new heights," says Moran Avni, VP of Business Development of Cham Foods.
"Whether opting for lentils or quinoa, the pulses look like they were cooked 'just now', taste good, and contain their full nutritional value. All that's needed is to add hot water and wait one to five minutes," Avni adds.
Cham Foods CEO Shay Shevi points out that "The gap between consumers' desire to eat wholesome, better-for-you foods and the ready they actually eat is huge."
According to Shevi, "Consumers perceive many dry RTE meals as cheap, unhealthy, or 'artificial.' Our mission is to change this perception and bring innovation to the table."
Cham products are kosher and halal, as well as GFSI-, GMP- and HACCP-certified.
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