Finding Success In Salads
Lisa White
The salad category in delis has always been a stronghold, and although there has been a shift in prepared food formats due to COVID, sales have remained on the upswing.
According to NielsenIQ, deli salad sales totaled more than $4.1 billion in the 52 weeks ending April 3, 2021. This was down slightly from $4.5 billion in the same period a year prior. However, a number of categories in salads saw an increase in sales over the last year. Potato salad sales rose from $690 million to $709 million chicken salad sales increased from $457 million to $484 million macaroni salad rose from $236 million to $257 million and cole slaw was up slightly from $219 million to $226 million.
COVID has had an impact on consumers with how they plan to eat now and into the future, says Krystle Turnbull, product manager at Sandpoint, ID-based Litehouse Foods. According to a Jan. 27, 2021 report from Numerator Health Trends, three in four shoppers plan to lead a healthier lifestyle in 2021. Also, 79% of consumers say they are proactively managing their health and wellness through their food and beverage choices, according to an April 8, 2021 webinar by IPSOS U.S. Syndicated Community Breaking Down the Pandemic Wall.
Timely Trends
There have been a number of trends, such as intermittent fasting, keto, clean eating, gluten free and vegetarian, that have impacted the deli prepared food segment and salad category specifically.
Product Launches
Packaging Innovations