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.
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2A THE STATE OF THE SPECIALTY FOOD INDUSTRY THE STATE OF THE SPECIALTY FOOD INDUSTRY Specialty food sales hit $120.5 billion in the U.S. in 2015, according to this year's State of the Specialty Food Industry report, produced by the Specialty Food Association and Mintel. Here are some takeaways: 1. Though mainstream retailers account for the largest share of specialty food sales, they are growing at an almost equal rate as specialty food and natural food stores. According to supply chain data, sales potential may be biggest in natural stores. 2. Specialty food sales through foodservice are growing faster than retail sales: 27 percent versus 19.7 percent. More U.S. consumers are dining out and seeking high-quality, flavorful foods when doing so. 3. Fifty-eight out of 61 specialty food categories enjoyed double-digit sales growth in 2015, and two categories grew by more than 200 percent. Fresh, protein, and convenience are three trends holding steady as evidenced in the specialty food categories showing the most sales growth: refrigerated RTD tea and cofee; eggs; jerky and other meat snacks; refrigerated pasta; and water. 4. The supply chain has embraced the importance of e-commerce as a way to sell directly to consumers. Eighty-five percent of manufacturers sell via their own website and 49 percent use a third-party platform like Amazon. Importers cite online sales as one of their fastest-growing channels. 5. Manufacturers say retail sales—whether through distributors or direct—are their biggest and fastest-growing sales channel. However, they are enjoying success via the foodservice market as well, with an almost equal amount of sales coming from products made exclusively for foodservice as products also sold to retail. 6. Many in the supply chain believe non-GMO will be a product claim of growing importance to consumers. Forty-nine percent of manufacturers plan to introduce products that are non-GMO in 2016. 7. Local products are still an important way retailers diferentiate their oferings. The following pages ofer more highlights of key data from the research. A summary version with charts and more data is available for download at specialtyfood.com/stateindustry2016, along with definitions and brand examples for the 61 specialty food categories used in this report. Download a summary report with full charts and data as well as more information at specialtyfood.com/stateindustry2016 ABOUT THE RESEARCH The Specialty Food Associa- tion's State of the Specialty Food Industry is a joint research project prepared by Mintel and SPINS/IRI. The research encompasses the three most recent calendar years of sales data and includes figures for 61 specialty food categories, pulled from the SPINS database of mainstream and natural food stores. In addition, Mintel surveyed specialty food manufactur- ers, importers, distributors, brokers, and retailers to develop the statistics presented in this report. 21.2% 13.7% Dollar sales grew since 2013, and unit sales increased Infographics by Newhouse Design