Two-thirds of consumers purchase prepared meals at least three times a month, reveals Technomic’s 2019 Retail Foodservice Consumer Trend Report. The number marks a growth compared to 55% of survey respondents in 2017.
More than half (59%) of the respondents planned to purchase the prepared food, according to the survey of over 1,400 consumers on their behavior, attitudes and preferences towards retail foodservice.
Prepared meals – typically made up of a protein, a vegetable and a side – are already cooked. They are an easy option for today’s busy consumer who consistently rank convenience as a top priority.
“Regularly scheduled grocery trips drive many prepared foods purchases as consumers appreciate being able to take care of grocery shopping while also having access to a freshly prepared meal or snack,” Bret Yonke, manager of consumer insights at Technomic, explained.
“Moving forward, full-service restaurant and food hall experiences will begin to roll out more frequently which is likely to encourage consumers to consider retail foodservice for a wider variety of occasions.”
An expanding market
Fresh prepared meals account for $11.9 billion worth of grocery sales in 2019, according to IRI. Grab-and-go sales have doubled in the past three years and convenience formats, such as prepared meals or grab and go now account for 40% of deli meat sales.
Many grocery stores – including Stop & Shop, Whole Foods and Wegmans – offer shoppers their choice of prepared foods in the forms of hot food bars, salad bars and deli sandwiches.
A growing number of food companies are racing to enter the marketplace. FreshOne offers consumers a choice of 30 complete heat-and-eat entrees, including spaghetti and meatballs, chicken parmesian and General Tso’s chicken. Simply Fresh Kitchen meals are available in both packaged or in hot cases in prepared foods sections.
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