Magazine: Finger food

Finger food is a term which designates a regrouping of existing food varieties according to 21st -century consumption trends. Basically it is a new food category: food eaten directly using the hands. In a narrower sense, distributors think of finger food as a product type, whereas cooks look at it as a new kind of snack. Dr Zoltán Hagymási, Nádudvari Élelmiszer Kft’s. marketing consultant says: – Finger food is spectacular and sometimes even playful. It is a great feeling to eat finger food and this style of eating fits today’s rapid pace of life – it is high quality fast food. Mr Hagymási thinks that the spreading of frozen base materials is a completely normal stage in the development of catering: modern technology guarantees that the quality of these products is very close to that of fresh base materials. Csaba Mossóczy, a sales manager at McCain Foods says finger foods are easy to prepare and consume.

McCain’s buyers are higher positioned fast food restaurants, pubs and cafés, so the company has to guarantee constant good quality. McCain offers a wide finger food selection with onion rings, chicken wings, cheese and vegetable snacks as the main product groups. They introduce 4-5 new products per year. Mirtill Németh of Ardo Hungary Kft. informed us that the company, which distributes quick frozen vegetables and fruits, entered the market with onion rings and last year they added breadcrumbed vegetables, vegetable burger and specialties like broccoli nuggets to their portfolio. She is of the opinion that the acceptance of their products is growing, because vegetarianism is healthy and trendy. Nádudvari Élelmiszer Kft. is present in both HoReCa and retail, so their products are available in 450-g and 2,500-g versions. McCain often organises promotion campaigns and test fryings, to demonstrate how little finger foods lose from their weight with frying. Ardo Hungary sees the biggest opportunities in the HoReCa sector, as finger foods are practical and they fit the menus of places with small kitchens.