Why packaged salads and greens continue to entice shoppers

Salad has come a long way in the last four decades.

Before the launch of Ready Pac’s European-style salad blends in the early `80s, head lettuce — mainly iceberg — was pretty much the only game in town for retail shoppers craving a healthy bowl of greens. Today, packaged salad is a multibillion-dollar industry, and consumers have access to dozens of conveniently pre-washed and bundled salad options featuring an ever-expanding variety of greens, dressings and toppings.

According to Circana Integrated Fresh multi-outlet data for the 52 weeks ending Sept. 10, 2023, dollar sales for UPC-labeled salads and leafy greens reached $9 billion — far surpassing sales for bulk greens, which totaled just $500 million. This reflects a 2% increase for packaged greens over the previous year. Unit sales declined nearly 4%, however, and the average unit price rose 6%.

Dollar sales for fresh salad kits, which include components such as dressings and toppings, declined 2% over the previous year to approximately $3 billion, and unit sales decreased 7%. Among packaged salad greens without dressings or toppings, spinach was the top-selling variety by dollar sales, despite a 2% dip, and kale sales grew 5%.

“Salads saw a boost during the pandemic years as consumers were eating more at home,” explained Fabian Pereira, vice president of marketing, innovation and international at Fresh Express in Windermere, Fla. “In 2022, as the threat of COVID was reduced, people started eating out more, and inflation also hit. This impacted retail sales as we saw them come closer to pre-pandemic numbers.”

This year, Pereira said he’s seeing unit sales climb higher than in 2019, and dollar sales remain strong due to unit price increases.

“Overall, this is a very healthy category because salads sit at the convergence of key food trends,” he said, citing convenience, plant-based nutrition and diverse flavor options as examples. “Consumers are looking for easy-to-fix, healthy, restaurant-quality meals.”

The Packer recently checked in with suppliers to learn more about trends, top sellers and new products in the packaged salads category.

Hail, Caesar kits!

Pereira noted that kits, especially the chopped variety, have been a key growth engine for the salad category over the past decade.

“These are popular because they enable consumers to get their serving of vegetables as a convenient, chef-inspired, tasty dish, complete with toppings and dressings,” he said.

Curated blends of different greens are also top sellers for Fresh Express, Pereira added, because they allow consumers to create both classic and creative salads.

With shoppers cutting back on retail spending in response to higher costs, many are going back to tried-and-true salad varieties, noted Bil Goldfield, director of corporate communications at Dole Food Co.

“We are seeing our core salad consumer return to favorites like Caesar, while millennials and other new consumers are attracted to our newer, on-trend Chopped varieties,” he said.

Pereira agrees that the Caesar is trending.

“Given that it is America’s favorite salad flavor, it’s no surprise that our three top-selling salad kit SKUs are the Caesar Salad Kit, Chopped Caesar Salad Kit and Caesar Supreme Salad Kit,” he said.

For Dole, the bestselling kits include a combination of Caesar and chopped varieties, with the Ultimate Caesar Salad Kit, Chopped Sunflower Crunch Salad Kit and Chopped Caesar Salad Kit making up the top three.

New products keep consumers interested

While shoppers gravitate toward classic salad offerings, they’re also seeking new flavors and ingredients.

Brooklyn-based Ark Foods launched its Chopped Salad Kits for nationwide distribution this summer as part of its Clean Label Eats product line. Varieties include Caesar-ish Kale, Crunchy Sesame Ramen, Southern BBQ Ranch, and Sweet Kale Lemon Poppyseed.

Combining hearty, pre-washed greens, crunchy toppings and clean-label dressings, the kits are non-GMO verified. Thus far, the Crunch Sesame Ramen and Sweet Kale Lemon Poppy are the bestselling SKUs, according to the company.

“Our kits are created with innovation in mind,” said Lindsay Belfatto, vice president of sales at Ark Foods. “We aim to surpass shoppers’ expectations using unique and exciting flavor profiles, while still focusing on health and wellness, rather than simply recreating what they can already buy.”

Boskovich Farms in Oxnard, Calif., also has been working on new recipes and blends. The company introduced 10 new varieties in 2022 under the Green Fork label and recently launched the Fair Earth Farms line of blends and kits in patented, certified compostable packaging.

The Green Fork launch included Slammin’ Sesame and Marvelous Mediterranean kits, along with Garden Party and Simply Spring blends. The organic Fair Earth line features Organic Superfood Crunch and Organic Honey Coconut Cashew Crunch.

“What makes these unique is the flavor profiles and blended ingredients,” said Bob Spence, executive vice president of sales and marketing for the Fresh Prep division at Boskovich Farms. “The recipes were inspired and developed by Andrew Hunter, a chef for Wolfgang Puck.”

The company is set to launch two new Fair Earth organic kits at the International Fresh Produce Association’s Global Produce & Floral Show in Anaheim, Calif., this October.

“The fact that we are introducing organic kits, unique recipes and all in the first certified BPI compostable packaging makes [this line] a winner,” Spence said. “Certainly, consumer awareness of sustainable products has helped.”

Dole introduced several new products to its line of chopped salads in 2023, including its Chopped Hibachi Miso Salad Kit, Chopped Roadhouse BBQ Salad Kit, Chopped Chophouse Crunch Salad Kit, Chopped Everything Caesar Salad Kit, and OLE Chopped Crunchy Taco Salad Kit.

In the year’s fourth quarter, the company will add three new Dole salad varieties: Chopped Garden Herb Salad Kit, Chopped Cajun Ranch Salad Kit, and Chopped Bourbon Honey Mustard Salad Kit.

Fresh Express is leaning into international flavors, Pereira noted, with its newly introduced Twisted Caesar Enchilada Chopped Kit, French Bistro Chopped Kit, and French Blue Cheese Salad Kit. Also among the company’s new offerings is the Smokehouse Chopped Kit, a blend of lettuces and cabbage with a smoked bacon dressing.

New York-based indoor grower BrightFarms introduced its Crunch Kit line of salads in 2022 with Chickpea Caesar and Bacon Ranch flavors. The Caesar gives the classic recipe a twist with the addition of crispy chickpeas and quinoa, while the Bacon Ranch features uncured bacon bits and sunflower seeds.

“Salad kits are one of the fastest-growing segments in indoor farming, and the largest segment in packaged salads,” said Abby Prior, chief commercial officer at BrightFarms. “We partnered with our retail customers in the development of our salad kits, capitalizing on flavor trends and insights on consumer demand of tangential categories such as dressings, salad toppings and produce.”

Since the line’s launch, customer feedback has been resoundingly positive, she said, prompting BrightFarms to create two new kits that cater to a wider range of tastes. The kits will make their debut via product samples at the IFPA show this fall.

Conventional outsells organic

While many brands such as Fair Earth, Josie’s Organics, Taylor Farms, Earthbound Farm, and Revol Greens offer organic salad kits, they are far less prevalent on store shelves than their conventional counterparts.

Pereira pointed out that organic kits represent less than 1% of the value-added salad category’s dollar sales.

“Although consumer demand for organic kits was already in decline, inflation has also likely had an impact,” he said, adding that Fresh Express no longer offers organic kits. “Today’s shoppers are very price sensitive.”

While Dole does not currently offer organic kits, Goldfield said, “we continue to monitor consumer response to this segment.”

Promoting packaged greens

To keep consumers coming back for bagged salad kits and greens at retail, Fresh Express maintains an active Instagram account. Recent posts have featured new product announcements under the tagline, “Consistently, Deliciously Fresh,” as well as game day recipes and a National Family Month giveaway. For National Salad Month in May, Fresh Express ran a #FreshSaladCreations contest through online and social channels that invited consumers to post their salad photos.

The brand’s website shares recipes made with packaged salad greens and kits, such as Wild Rice Squash Poppyseed Chopped Salad and Pesto Pepperoni Pizza topped with Twisted Pesto Caesar Chopped Salad. In January, the company will kick off 2024 with its annual Fresh Intentions campaign, encouraging consumers to set and keep healthy intentions for the new year.

Dole featured its new Chopped salad kits on Instagram Reels for National Salad Month and shared quick recipes. The Dole website highlights creative recipes built on packaged salad greens, like the Triple Lentil Cucumber Salad and the Wheatberry, Beans and Kale Chopped Salad.

Boskovich Farms celebrated National Salad Month this year with in-store sampling and displays featuring QR codes to encourage shoppers to follow the brand on its social media channels.

Suppliers will continue to engage with consumers — both directly and through retail partnerships — to promote the convenience of packaged salad greens and keep shoppers informed about new products as they are launched.