Skip navigation
Reports & Analysis Strategic Insights Research Subscriptions
Sign In / Create Account Cart
Sign In / Create Account Cart
  • Reports & Analysis
  • Strategic Insights
  • Research Subscriptions

Resources

  • Analyst Buzz
  • Press Releases
  • Blog
  • Resources & Downloads

The Freedonia Group

  • Contact
  • About
  • Our Staff
  • Help Center
  • Career Opportunities
Freedonia Market Research Blog Beyond the kale: American foodies seek exotic, elaborate, and upscale packaged salads

Beyond the kale: American foodies seek exotic, elaborate, and upscale packaged salads

by Sarah Schmidt

June 25, 2014

Packaged salad’s a commodity? Foodies may not think so. And that’s a lot of us. More than one-third of consumers explicitly identify themselves as foodies, according to Packaged Facts’ January/February 2014 consumer survey. In addition 60% enjoy trying new foods and beverages, a hallmark of foodie-ism.

King Kale - Who’d a thunk it? “Consumers are being more adventurous in produce choices,” says Melissa Hehmann, a Registered Dietitian with Meijer, the Michigan-based grocery chain, where sales of bagged baby kale (Prince Kale?) skyrocketed by 200% between 2012 and 2013. Hehmann believes that if consumers enjoy kale, “they may reach for another unfamiliar green.” Swiss chard, perhaps, or turnip greens, or as organicgirl states definitively on its website, “Bok choy is the new kale.”

Experimentation - and Kale - in Foodservice. Fully one-fifth of consumers order salads when dining out because they want to try new varieties, reports Technomic, and kale salads are trending forward (“Left Side of the Menu: Soup & Salad Consumer Trend Report”). In fact, 60% of professional chefs surveyed by the National Restaurant Association expect kale salads to be a hot main dish/center of the plate menu trend in 2014.

Beyond the Kale. Marketers often observe foodservice trends before investing in new varieties or entirely new product lines. Most notably, Ready Pac’s Bistro Bowl brand of meal salads and new wrap kits are inspired by gourmet restaurant menu trends, featuring such innovations as red apple poppy seed dressing, artisan sesame seed tortillas, and fire-roasted edamame. Indeed, consumers’ eagerness to experiment with new foods, flavors, and world cuisines - nearly half of consumers surveyed by Packaged Facts enjoy trying out new international foods - have led to increasingly exotic, elaborate, and upscale packaged salads from a number of different marketers. Among the more unusual ingredients contained in new products are nutty quinoa, buckwheat soba noodles, black chia seeds, zesty crunchy pumpkin seed mix, wasabi arugula, and citrus herbs.

The Power of Protein. Another product trend that reflects consumers’ interests and preference has marketers incorporating protein-rich foods and toppings into their salad bowls and salad kits, with ingredients ranging from chicken and smoked meats; to cheeses and hard-boiled eggs; to nuts, seeds, and beans. As shown in Packaged Facts’ survey, more than one-quarter of consumers look for high-protein foods when grocery shopping; one-third are eating more protein these days; and one-fourth are in search of non-meat sources of protein.

Marketers can add further value to value-added produce and encourage product and brand trial by:

  • Mixing novelty greens (bok choy, chard, turnip greens) with decidedly familiar ones (spinach).
  • Providing prepared dressings and toppings that fully complement the salad’s “theme” (superfoods, Tuscan, BBQ) for a truly authentic, restaurant-style dining experience.
  • Including novel interpretations of well-known ingredients to spark interest and ensure brand differentiation, e.g., Fresh Express Gourmet Café’s cherry infused cranberry and almond crunch blend and its brown sugar-coated pumpkin seeds.
  • Offering vegetarian and vegan options as well as poultry and meats as part of protein-positioned product lines.

This blog is based in part on research featured in Packaged Facts’ Branded Packaged Produce and Salads: U.S. Market Trends, published in May 2014. Add this report to your own intelligence library and receive a 5% discount during our promotional period effective through September 1, 2014. Use code PF06SALAD

-- Howard Waxman

Have unique research needs?

Freedonia Strategic Insights listens intently to your needs and objectives. Then we work diligently to define and deliver a service to meet them.
Learn About Our Custom Research Services

Subscribe to Our Blog

Stay up to date with the latest information about new market research and news in areas relevant to your business from our analysts and team members.

Packaged Facts Blog Subscription

Provide the following details to subscribe.

The Freedonia Group needs the contact information you provide to us to contact you about our products and services. You may unsubscribe from these communications at any time. For information on how to unsubscribe, as well as our privacy practices and commitment to protecting your privacy, please review our Privacy Policy.
  • Contact
  • About
  • Help Center
  • Career Opportunities
  • Press Contact
  • User Agreement
  • Privacy Policy
  • Site Map

Additional Resources

  • Market Size Resources
  • Lawn & Garden Market Research
  • Roofing Market Research
  • Pet Products Market Research
  • Countertops Market Research
  • Power Tools Market Research
  • Publishing for the PreK-12 Market Research
  • Insulation Market Resaerch
  • Cabinets Market Research
  • Flooring Market Research
  • Pet Supplements Market Research
  • Agricultural Equipment Market Research
  • Open Access Publishing Market Research
  • Silicones Market Research
  • For Legal Inquiries, contact Cohen & Cohen
Copyright © 2025 The Freedonia Group, Inc. All rights reserved.