Tasty Bite

Infobox Company
company_name = Tasty Bite Edibles, Ltd.
company_
company_type = Public
foundation =
location =
key_people = Ravi Nigam (President and CEO)
industry = Food
products = shelf stable foods
revenue =
operating_income =
net_income =
num_employees =
parent = Preferred Brands International (PBI)
subsid = Tasty Bite Edibles, Ltd.
homepage = [http://www.tastybite.com tastybite.com]
footnotes =

Tasty Bite is a brand of shelf-stable Indian and Thai foods, as well as foods for special dietary needs (vegetarian, vegan, kosher, gluten-free).

The company

The Tasty Bite brand is owned by Preferred Brands International (PBI), which is based in Stamford, Connecticut. Most Tasty Bite products are manufactured by PBI's Indian subsidiary Tasty Bite Eatables Ltd., which is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange under the symbol TBE.B.

The Tasty Bite product line is mostly manufactured at its plant in Bhandgaon, about forty miles outside of Pune, India. Many of the vegetables used in the manufacture of the Tasty Bite range of products are grown in a private farm owned and managed by the company.

Tasty Bite products are widely available in supermarkets in the U.S. and Australia. They can be found in the international foods aisle in mainstream and natural supermarkets.

Products

The products of Preferred Brands International include:

Indian dishes

* Agra Peas & Greens
* Bengal Lentils
* Bombay Potatoes
* Jaipur Vegetables
* Jodphur Lentils
* Kashmir Spinach
* Madras Lentils
* Peas Paneer
* Punjab Eggplant
* Spinach Dal
* Kashmir Spinach
* Kerala vegetables
* Paneer Makhani
* Spinach Soy

Indian dishes (ready-to-eat meals)

* Beans Masala & Basmati Rice
* Peas Paneer & Basmati Rice
* Spinach Dal & Basmati Rice
* Sprouts Curry & Basmati Rice
* Vegetable Supreme & Basmati Rice

Thai dishes

* Yellow Curry Vegetables
* Red Curry Vegetables
* Yellow Curry Vegetables & Jasmine Rice
* Massaman Vegetables
* Satay Vegetables
* Rendang Vegetables

Thai soups

* Tom Yum Soup

Pilafs

* Mexican Fiesta Pilaf
* Multi-grain Pilaf
* Pesto Pilaf
* Tandoori Pilaf
* Thai Lime Pilaf

Packaging

Each unit is distributed in a specially prepared sealed pouch, called a retort pouch. A retort pouch is constructed from a flexible metal-plastic laminate which is able to withstand thermal processing via Pasteurization. The food is first prepared and then sealed into the retort pouch. The pouch is then heated to 240-250°F (116-121°C) under high pressure. This process reliably kills all commonly occurring microorganisms (particularly "Clostridium botulinum"), preventing it from spoiling. The packaging process is very similar to canning, except that the package itself is flexible. The particular retort pouches used for Tasty Bite products consist of four layers. Starting from inside, the layers are:

* food-grade polypropylene
* aluminum
* nylon
* polyester

The retort pouch was invented by the United States Army Natick R&D Command, Reynolds Metals Company, and Continental Flexible Packaging, who jointly received the Food Technology Industrial Achievement Award for its invention in 1978. Retortable pouches are extensively used by the US military for field rations (called Meals, Ready-to-Eat, or MREs).

In the consumer market, retort pouches have gained great popularity outside of the United States, particularly in the Pacific Rim region. However, American consumers have evidently demonstrated confusion or reluctance regarding the packaging technology, and its adoption has been slow. As a result, many retort packages sold in the United States are packaged in cartons to give them an appearance more familiar to consumers. Tasty Bite products are an example of a retort pouch product packaged in a carton. Recently, several American food distributors have begun manufacturing foods in retort pouches without cartons, notably tuna canning companies Star-Kist, Chicken of the Sea and Bumble Bee.

External links

* [http://www.tastybite.com Tasty Bite website]
* [http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=519091.BO Tasty Bite, Yahoo! Finance]
* [http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2003/03/05/stories/2003030501700600.htm (The Hindu Business Line) Tasty Bite plans foray into curry pastes]
* [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0UQX/is_2_68/ai_114001368 (Food & Drug Packaging) Retort pouches build up steam: big food companies are taking advantage of technical advances to bring out retorted products in flexible material - Technology: retort packaging]