United Fresh releases report on summer, winter trend data
Pineapple, collard greens, plant-forward kebabs, parsnips and grapefruit are either trending now or will be soon, according to the Summer 2019 issue of the United Fresh Produce Association’s “Fresh Insights for Foodservice” report, now available to the public.
“Whether you’re involved in sourcing, menu development or work for a distributor that services restaurant accounts, United’s ‘Fresh Insights for Foodservice’ contains valuable information that individuals in all segments of the produce foodservice supply chain can benefit from,” Sarah Grady, vice chairperson of United’s retail-foodservice board, said in the release.
Grady is the U.S. strategic supply chain manager at McDonald’s Corporation and will moderate a webinar on the summer report at noon (Eastern) on August 21. The webinar dives into the statistics, and participants can ask questions.
The report is developed in partnership with market research firm Datassential.
Sections include: what’s in-season for summer, what’s on the horizon for winter, top chain trends and what’s happening at colleges and universities.
With a penetration in the lower 60% in every U.S. region, pineapple is reaching the ubiquity stage, but there’s more opportunity for growth with collard greens with a penetration of less than 5% in each region. Named after colewart, the wild cabbage that precedes modern cabbage, collard greens are mostly served at African, barbecue, Southern, Central American and South American restaurants.
Come winter, look for parsnips in mashes and roasts and find grapefruit paired with rich, oily foods and immersed in the beverage menu, according to the report.
The top three ingredients at chain restaurants are cucumbers, passionfruit and romaine.
The importance of student tastes shouldn’t be overlooked either, as 47% of college students are actively limiting their meat consumption, according to the report.
The report is free for members and $50 for others, available by download at the United Fresh Publications Library, and the webinar registration is free for members and $100 for others.
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