Albertsons brings innovative salad bar concept to stores

Albertsons Cos. has partnered with Picadeli, one of Europe’s leading food tech companies dedicated to disrupting the healthy food industry. Picadeli offers a modular store-in-store salad bar concept with the mission to make fresh, healthy food accessible and affordable to the masses, delivering on convenience and taste at a time when so many fast-food options fall short.

The salad bar concept has launched in six Safeway, ACME and Kings locations across Washington, DC, Maryland, and New Jersey. While new to the U.S., Picadeli’s award-winning salad bars are in over 2,200 stores across seven countries throughout Europe and sold more than 45 million salads in 2019. Although many aspects of the self-serve and convenience categories were affected by the recent pandemic, Picadeli has experienced a rapid recovery of its business in Europe. The initial sales and feedback from customers in the U.S. has been overwhelmingly positive.

“Picadeli has created an innovative, technology-forward solution to address the strong demand for healthy, affordable foods that can be customized quickly,” said Jewel Hunt, group vice president of Deli Food Service at Albertsons Cos. “Fresh meal solutions is a category where we are continuing to differentiate our offerings, and by introducing Picadeli, we are giving our customers a great option for healthy meals at an affordable price.”

“The lack of convenient, healthy fresh food at an affordable price has created a unique opportunity for grocers to win over consumers who have been left behind by the growth in cheap, less healthy fast food, and expensive fast-casual concepts,” said Patrik Hellstrand, CEO of Picadeli U.S. “Albertsons is a leader in recognizing the demand for healthy and affordable food by its customers and we are thrilled to work together to introduce our offering to the U.S. The fast fresh food market is ripe for disruption and innovation, and Picadeli’s proven offering has demonstrated it solves this need for consumers and leading retailers across Europe. We look forward to continuing to deliver on our mission here in the U.S.”

Sustainability is a priority for Picadeli and its next-level salad bar is customized for each location, with ingredients specifically selected for each market. Its technology creates efficiencies that reduce food waste, while reducing labor, lowering break-even and increasing profitability. With its innovative technology and patented hardware, it prioritizes food safety, with the design comprised of hygiene first materials, technology-enabled shielding hoods, automatic hand sanitizer and bowl dispensers. Its innovative mounting system for utensils ensures that the grip is never in contact with food, and that products are not mixed. The digital management system allows for full traceability of its supply chain and operation, as well as QR-code scanning to ensure products do not stay out longer than allowed, signaling the need for refilling and AI re-ordering.