Page 34 - Deli Business June/July 2020
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34 DELI BUSINESS JUN/JUL 2020
Pearson salad kits are made with the deli buyer, retail associate and consumer in mind. Deli kits come in small one- to two-kit cases to help the deli buyer control inventory and shrink.
“For the associate, there is no prepara- tion required for the salads,” says Pearson. “They simply mix all of the pre-cut compo- nents provided by Pearson in a mixing bag, set it out in the display case and serve.”
Marketing & Merchandising
Salad freshness continues to be a key component within the deli—from the look and appearance of an item, to its prepara- tion and assembly.
Resers’ recent successful launch of a turkey recovery dressing kit, which includes separate components for dressing, dried cranberries and mixed nuts, helped solve a deli operator challenge of utilizing extra meat from a deli hot case program.
“Utilizing an existing program also extended the appeal of turkey, creating an efficient deli alternative for consumers out- side of the carving station,” says Roe. “The cranberries and nuts added visual appeal, with flavors reminiscent of holiday meals.”
Marketing salads should focus on flex- ibility, as these are not only sides, but also components that can complete a meal.
“For this reason, delis should allocate more space to these items,” says Cappelli at Don’s Prepared Foods. “They also should include plant-based options and meal kits as solutions.”
Pearson Foods has been collaborat- ing with deli retailers to meet consumer trends, such as the move toward con- tact-less service.
“The current consumer climate favors the ever growing fast-paced, ready-to-eat market, and now new public health con- cerns stem from person to person contact,” says Pearson. “With the retailer’s dilemma in mind, Pearson Foods has taken the ini-
tiative to develop solutions for ready-to-go salads. This allows the retailer to maintain the private label experience and relation- ship with their consumer while meeting the consumer need for independence, variety and quality fresh food.”
Shelf life should be top of mind when merchandising salads, especially with the move away from preservatives.
“As we move toward cleaner labels and preservative-free products, there does remain a real challenge with shelf life,” says Cummins at Winter Gardens Quality Foods. “But for some time, we’ve been using natural shelf life extenders that are not synthetically made and are considered clean label.”
These natural antimicrobials have not only become more affordable, but also more available.
“Classic deli style salads have incor- porated antimicrobials for cleaner labels without jeopardizing shelf life,” says Cummins. “The performance of these are improving all the time.”
He adds that if trends are any indication, delis are moving away from bulk behind the deli counter merchandising to prepacks.
“The initial reason was due to added convenience, but now it’s more about safety and security,” says Cummins. “Well- merchandised prepacked containers with updated and eco-friendly packaging is what we see customers moving towards.”
This includes smaller 5- and 6-ounce containers as well as the larger 1-, 2- and 3-pound sizes.
“We’re not only seeing delis request reduced packaging, but also materials that are more eco-friendly,” says Cummins. “This includes compostable and recyclable packaging. Although added cost is typi- cally built in for these materials, and there could be resistance for customers, that will decline as this packaging becomes more popular.” DB


































































































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