Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1256204
S4 | THE STATE OF THE SPECIALTY FOOD INDUSTRY Water jumped since 2017 from number 12 to 9 overall. The top 10 specialty food and beverage categories don't change much year to year; evidence that certain products such as cheese and chocolate are consumer favorites that are here to stay. Shifts have occurred in the lower rankings of the top 10, as Yogurt and Kefir's multi-year slowdown pushed it out, and Water and Frozen Entrées (Lunch, Dinner) moved up and into the top 10. Half of the 2019 top 10 categories are chilled or frozen demonstrating how important those segments are to the specialty food market. Specialty Food — What Is Selling Now Many of the categories with the highest dollar growth are very small. But, collectively, they represent continuing consumer interest in plant-based, refrigerated/fresh, frozen, and health. The rise of Baby Food to this year's list reflects life stage changes for the large millennial generation and how that impacts specialty food sales. The pandemic drove sales among center-store pantry items. Through March 2020 some categories that experienced the largest year-on-year growth included Baking Mixes, Ingredients, and Flours; Shelf Stable Pasta and Pizza Sauces; Soup; and Shelf Stable Entrees and Mixes. in Retail Sales Source: Mintel/SPINS Cheese and Plant-based Cheese Meat, Poultry, Seafood (Frozen and Refrigerated) Chips, Pretzels, Snacks Co™ee and Hot Cocoa (non-RTD) Bread and Baked Goods Chocolate and Other Confectionery Refrigerated Entrées Frozen Desserts Water Frozen Entrées (Lunch, Dinner) Refrigerated Plant-based Meat Alternatives Shelf-stable Creams and Creamers Refrigerated Creams and Creamers Refrigerated RTD Tea and Co™ee Frozen Breakfast Foods Frozen Juices and Beverages Water Jerky and Meat Snacks Rice Cakes Baby Food Top 10 Categories Top 10 Categories with Highest Dollar Growth Source: Mintel/SPINS The Impact of COVID-19