Soup and salad will face heightened competition as the definition of health evolves

Study conducted by Technomic reveals the latest trends and data

CHICAGO, April 18, 2016 /CNW/ -- Soup and salad consumption has held steady over the past couple of years, as consumers look to these for traditional better-for-you meals and add-ons, finds Technomic's Soup & Salad Consumer Trend Report However, the number of items classified as "healthy" on leading menus has grown 162.8% in the past five years as other categories seek to steal share of consumers' increasingly conscientious purchases and broadening definition of health.

To retain share and even grow, soup and salad players will have to re-establish the healthfulness of soup and salad while innovating to incite cravings and appeal to consumers' desire for new and unique flavours. "Creating soups and salads that feature natural, 'clean' ingredients and hard-to-replicate recipes, such as those containing superfoods or a unique and craveable signature twist, will position these traditional favourites as fresh and healthful yet differentiated," says Deanna Jordan, manager of consumer insights for Technomic.

Key takeaways from the report include:

• Gluten-free and vegetarian are the fastest-growing callouts for the top 200 soups and salads. For salad, gluten-free claims grew 150% and vegetarian grew 42% since 2013.
• Cravings beat out healthfulness as reasons consumers eat soup and salad; more than half cite cravings as a soup (58%) and salad (55%) driver, while fewer say health spur their soup (29%) and salad (48%) orders.
• Those who never order soup and salad cite a lack of differentiation, as a quarter who don't eat soup (24%) and salad (23%) say it's because they can easily make it at home.

Compiling findings from more than 1,000 consumers, as well as Technomic's MenuMonitor and Digital Resource Library, the comprehensive 2016 Canadian Left Side of the Menu: Soup & Salad Consumer Trend Report serves as a guide for foodservice operators and suppliers to understand consumer attitudes toward soup and salad and to identify key areas of opportunity.

Technomic publishes a complete library of Consumer Trend Reports. To learn more, please visit Technomic.com/ctr or contact one of the individuals listed below.

Contacts:
Press Inquiries and Report Details: Kelly Weikel, [phone], or [email protected]
Purchasing Details: Patrick Noone, [phone], or [email protected]

About Technomic
Only Technomic, a Winsight company, delivers a 360-degree view of the food industry. We impact growth and profitability for our clients by providing consumer-grounded vision and channel-relevant strategic insights. Our services range from major research studies and management consulting solutions to online databases and simple fact-finding assignments. Our clients include food manufacturers and distributors, restaurants and retailers, other foodservice organizations, and various institutions aligned with the food industry. Visit us at technomic.com.

About Winsight, LLC
Winsight, LLC is a business-to-business media and information services company specializing in the convenience-retailing, restaurant and noncommercial foodservice industries. Winsight has an extensive media portfolio including four publications, CSP, Restaurant Business, FoodService Director and Convenience Store Products, a suite of digital products including websites, e-newsletters (Restaurant Business Daily and CSP Daily News) and webinars, plus video products, mobile and tablet apps, custom marketing solutions and the convenience-retailer intelligence tool, CSPedia. The Winsight Events group produces six exclusive, large-scale executive-level conferences—Restaurant Leadership Conference, FARE Conference, Outlook Leadership, Convenience Retailing University, FSTEC and MenuDirections—in addition to more than 12 major EduNetworking conferences and advisory meetings. Winsight recently acquired Technomic, Inc., a food industry provider of primary and secondary market information and advisory services. Winsight is a recognized leader in the markets it serves.

For more information on Winsight and its brands, go to WinsightMedia.com.

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SOURCE Technomic