instore - May 2018 - 44

feature

Deli convenience
by Chris Crawford

alue-added produce-based products are true to their name -
they add value to grocery and convenience store deli departments that are looking to capitalize on consumers' continued
desire for fast and fresh products featuring produce. These include
meal-prep kits, on-the-go snacks and fresh-cut produce products.
According to The Nielsen Co.'s 52-week data ending Feb. 24, fresh-cut
produce was worth about $4.3 billion and deli salads/dips/spreads/
toppings about $3.6 billion for U.S. grocery stores.
Riding the wave of popularity of meal kits with pre-portioned ingredients
for complete meal preparation at home, Nielsen says at the end of 2017,
instore meal kits generated $154.6 million in sales with 26 percent growth
year-over-year.
The on-the-go snacking sub-category was worth $1.1 billion for the year
ending May 27, 2017. To feed this trend, 900 new snacking items were
added to grocery shelves during that period, Nielsen says, with 600 of
those being individual servings of fresh-cut fruit with and without additional items.

Who's driving that growth? Janet Eastman, director of marketing for
Freshway Foods, Sidney, Ohio, says many consumers are focused on
eating more fresh fruits and vegetables, and fresh salads are a delicious
way they can increase their intake.
"We are finding that millennial consumers like our plant-based proteins
and clean dressings, while baby boomers appreciate the wide variety of
fruits and vegetables the salads contain," she says. "We see more people
approaching food from a functional perspective, researching the health
benefits of specific foods. We see this with cruciferous vegetables like
kale and cauliflower, as well as colorful vegetables like beets and rainbow
carrots, where consumers attribute a specific health benefit to the product."
Eastman says the popularity of home meal delivery kits such as Blue
Apron has led more supermarkets to offer their own meal kits in-store.
However, she adds, these meal kits still require cooking when the
consumer gets home.
"We've found that there's a segment of the population that wants the
convenience of a pre-planned meal, but still doesn't want to cook," she
says. "Operators can appeal to this
segment by offering healthy meal
deal options that incorporate
products from multiple departments in the fresh perimeter."

Salads, bowls
lead the way
Freshway Foods offers a variety
of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables
in pack sizes including for grocery
store salad bars, Eastman says.

44 * MAY 2018 * instore

MANN PACKING CO.

Mann Packing Co.'s Nourish Bowls are single-serve, heat-and-eat products that retail for about $4.99.

"For the deli and prepared salads
case, we offer fresh salad kits
that enable grocery deli and
convenience store operators to
prepare fresh, delicious salads
in minutes," she says. "Our deli
salad kits contain all ingredients
to make a large bowl of salad, and

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