Posts Tagged “fresh fruits and vegetables”
As a new year begins, it’s time to look at the trends that dietitians believe consumers will be following. So-called “clean” eating appears to be the biggest food trend for 2016.
Fresh food is the fastest growing department at the supermarket,despite Americans are facing rising food prices, plus they are eating more sweets, according to Nielsen Perishables Group. With consumers continuing to lose their taste for frozen and canned goods in 2013, fresh food sales grew 5.4 percent from a year earlier, to $134 billion. They now represent about 30 percent of supermarket sales.
Contributing to the growth of fresh foods is the fact grocers are stocking an ever-greater selection fresh fruits and vegetables, says Jonna Parker, director of Nielsen. Another factor: Mass merchants, such as Wal-Mart Stores, and club stores are selling more fresh foods; these retailers are projected to account for one-quarter of fresh-food sales by 2016.
Nielson reports meat and produce make up the majority of fresh food sales, with 39 percent and 32 percent, respectively, followed by deli, baked goods, and seafood. The mix is different for online orders, however, where meat is a smaller share of sales—consumers prefer to see and touch beef, chicken, and pork before purchasing.
Restaurants and other foodservice entities should be carrying more fresh fruits and vegetables on menus. Why? Because consumers want it.
About 4,000 consumers nationwide were surveyed and 600 foodservice operators were contacted by Datassential in May and June and conclude that ‘produce’ is now a hot food item. Foodservice operators are getting the message and plan to roll out more produce on menus soon.
Foodservice operators, or ‘operators’ for short, include away-from-home food establishments, including restaurants, universities, hospitals, lodging, catering, and others.
“The survey data says about 80 percent of consumers want restaurants to feature more produce on the menu,” said Maeve Webster, senior director of Datassential, Chicago, Ill..
“This is a fundamental shift in what (foods) consumers will eat away from home. It’s not just a fad.”