RTE ( Ready-To-Eat ).

 RTE : 

Ready-To-Eat foods are those food products which is in the edible form without additional preparation by the food service or it's in the consumed form known as a ready-to-eat food. 

RTE should be in edible form without any additional preparation steps. It is a group of food products that are pre-cooked, mostly packed & ready for consumption without prior cooking. RTE (Ready-To-Eat) foods rely on acidic conditions to inhibit the growth of pathogens.

Ex: Hot dog, Luncheon meats, Dry sausage, Fermented sausage, Desserts, Salad etc.

L. manocytogenes, Salmonella, E. coli, C. botulinum etc. Bacteria can survive & grow under the acidic conditions. The low acidic food range is pH>4.5 (UK) pH>4.6 (USA). Low acid food can allow growth of C. botulinum. In canned food "Botulinum Cook" process is given for low acid foods that means heat treatment given at 121 ℃ for 3 minutes to control C. botulinum. 

Ex: Idli, Dosa, Pav bhaji, Meat products etc.( RTE).

RTE foods generally do not contain preparation instructions on the respective food packets because no need of further processing or cooking. RTE foods are shelf stable that can be safely stored at room temperature without fear of contamination. 

Ex: Chips, Candy, Crackers, Canned foods etc.

 In india 3 ply laminates are used for RTE packaging which consist of PET/Foil/PP. Shelf life of products in such laminates up to 1 year. The most popular technology involved in RTE foods is extrusion cooking.