Food retailers are gaining an ever-greater share of consumer spending for prepared foods and meals. A recent study from Packaged Facts found 64% of US consumers reported purchasing a prepared meal from a grocery store within the past month – a segment projected to total $14 billion in sales during 2011. The service deli/prepared food area has become a popular destination for shoppers, with surveys showing 42% of shoppers buy from the department at least once a week or more (Technomic).
Prepared foods in retail stores represent an important opportunity to boost potato sales. Salads represent 19% of total deli sales dollars, with potato salads accounting for 15.2% of overall deli salad sales. Side dishes contribute another 3.6% of deli sales dollars, and potatoes dominate this segment with 42.6% of the dollars from deli sides. Added together, potatoes account for well over 4% of total sales dollars in the service deli/prepared foods areas at US food retailers.
The USPB has long recognized this opportunity and responded by including retailers in many elements of our foodservice campaigns. For example, in recent years, the USPB has invited executive chefs from retailers including Safeway, Giant Eagle, Whole Foods and Wegmans to our potato menu innovation workshops held annually at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley. In this current fiscal year, however, the USPB is stepping up our emphasis on this growing segment and bringing new resources to bear.
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