PMA research reveals retailers biting into foodservice territory
PMA research reveals retailers biting into foodservice territory
Produce Marketing Association research shows that overall, 43 percent of consumers said that they purchase prepared meals from their supermarket.
Moreover, 30 percent of consumers say they make more of those purchases today than they did a year ago, replacing what they would have traditionally purchased at a restaurant.
Out of 1,000 consumers surveyed nationwide, over half (53 percent) said that in the past year, they purchased "ready-to-eat meals or foods" from a supermarket, 46 percent said that they did so rather than eating restaurant take-out over the past year. Of this group, 10 percent said that they do so on a daily basis.
Consumers know supermarkets offer an array of fresh fruits and vegetables. According to the research, they are also more likely to think that supermarkets provide larger percentages of fresh fruits and vegetables in their prepared or 'ready-to-eat' offerings compared to restaurant take out or dine-in offerings, noted PMA Retail Board Chairman Dave Corsi, vice president of produce and floral operations for Wegmans Food Markets in Rochester, NY. More consumers are starting to respond to the efforts of supermarkets to provide tasty and convenient meal solutions, and that is certainly something we try to offer at Wegmans.
When it comes to the frequency of their purchasing patterns, 59 percent of those consumers who purchase ready-to-eat meals or foods from their supermarket rather than dining in a restaurant do so at a frequency of once or more a week. Twelve percent said they do so daily, which translates into 5.8 million households, based on the 2000 U.S. Census.
Despite this trend, the national survey also revealed that restaurant dine-in and take-out combined still account for over half (56 percent) of meals purchased that are not prepared at home. This compares to 43 percent being purchased at supermarkets.
PMA Foodservice Board Chairman Gene Harris, senior purchasing manager for Dennys Corp. in Spartanburg, SC, noted, More options for the consumer to consume healthy and good-tasting vegetables and fruit is good for all of us in the produce industry. Dennys provides a variety of menu choices, including fresh fruits and vegetables.
When consumers were asked: Of the ready-to-eat meals or foods purchased from your supermarket, dining-in, or take-out, what percent of the meal is made up of fruits and vegetables? the bulk of consumers responded less than 10 percent.
Opinion Dynamics Corp. conducted the consumer telephone survey of 1,000 households nationwide for PMAs Information Resource Center on Aug. 30-31. The results are statistically valid within a 3 percent margin of error at a 95 percent confidence interval.
Consumption and foodservice are two of the eleven educational tracks offered this year at PMAs 2005 Fresh Summit Nov. 4-8 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.
For more information, visit www.pma.com/freshsummit.
Moreover, 30 percent of consumers say they make more of those purchases today than they did a year ago, replacing what they would have traditionally purchased at a restaurant.
Out of 1,000 consumers surveyed nationwide, over half (53 percent) said that in the past year, they purchased "ready-to-eat meals or foods" from a supermarket, 46 percent said that they did so rather than eating restaurant take-out over the past year. Of this group, 10 percent said that they do so on a daily basis.
Consumers know supermarkets offer an array of fresh fruits and vegetables. According to the research, they are also more likely to think that supermarkets provide larger percentages of fresh fruits and vegetables in their prepared or 'ready-to-eat' offerings compared to restaurant take out or dine-in offerings, noted PMA Retail Board Chairman Dave Corsi, vice president of produce and floral operations for Wegmans Food Markets in Rochester, NY. More consumers are starting to respond to the efforts of supermarkets to provide tasty and convenient meal solutions, and that is certainly something we try to offer at Wegmans.
When it comes to the frequency of their purchasing patterns, 59 percent of those consumers who purchase ready-to-eat meals or foods from their supermarket rather than dining in a restaurant do so at a frequency of once or more a week. Twelve percent said they do so daily, which translates into 5.8 million households, based on the 2000 U.S. Census.
Despite this trend, the national survey also revealed that restaurant dine-in and take-out combined still account for over half (56 percent) of meals purchased that are not prepared at home. This compares to 43 percent being purchased at supermarkets.
PMA Foodservice Board Chairman Gene Harris, senior purchasing manager for Dennys Corp. in Spartanburg, SC, noted, More options for the consumer to consume healthy and good-tasting vegetables and fruit is good for all of us in the produce industry. Dennys provides a variety of menu choices, including fresh fruits and vegetables.
When consumers were asked: Of the ready-to-eat meals or foods purchased from your supermarket, dining-in, or take-out, what percent of the meal is made up of fruits and vegetables? the bulk of consumers responded less than 10 percent.
Opinion Dynamics Corp. conducted the consumer telephone survey of 1,000 households nationwide for PMAs Information Resource Center on Aug. 30-31. The results are statistically valid within a 3 percent margin of error at a 95 percent confidence interval.
Consumption and foodservice are two of the eleven educational tracks offered this year at PMAs 2005 Fresh Summit Nov. 4-8 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.
For more information, visit www.pma.com/freshsummit.
