Packaged Salad Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Product Type (Vegetarian, Non-Vegetarian), By Nature (Organic, Conventional), ByDistributionChannel( Supermarkets/Hypermarkets, Convenience Stores, Specialty Stores, Online Retail) And Regional Forecast, 2024-2032

Packaged salad is a mixture of raw & green vegetables, and fruits mixed with salad dressing oils and sauces, packed in easy use plastic pouches. These salads are also accompanied by meat and seafood to increase its nutritional properties. Preparing a salad requires the collection of various ingredients, chopping, cleaning, and dressing which consumes a considerable amount of time. Packaged salad saves all the preparation time; thereby, gaining huge popularity among consumers worldwide.

Salads are rich in protein and fibre, along with being low in fat and satiating, which has led to its wide consumption as sides and appetizers. The consumers have widely adopted the consumption of nutrient-filled salads on a regular basis owing to their rising health-consciousness and to boost their fitness. Moreover, the availability of various packaged salads such as caesar salad, green salad, fruit salad, and noodles pasta salads to improve bodily functioning have also supported the market growth. 

The rising demand of consumers for convenience and ready-to-eat foods in their busy and hectic lifestyle has mainly driven the packaged salad sales in the market. The consumers are seeking for healthier and nutritious food products to achieve overall physical wellness. Further, the increasing social media trend of adopting a healthy diet pattern has also nudged them to switch towards such convenient packed salads to promote market growth.

The packaged salad undergoes several processing such as High-Pressure Processing (HPP), triple wash before the packaging, and others lead to loss of various essential nutrients. Furthermore, the chances of microbial contamination when the greens come in contact with other leaves also negatively impact its quality, which is an impeding factor in its market growth.

Key Players Covered:

The key companies operating in the global packaged salad market are, Dole Food Company, Inc., Chiquita Brands, LLC., Earthbound Farm, Curation Foods, BrightFarms, Inc., Garden of Life, Gotham Greens Holdings, LLC, Mann Packing Co., Inc., Misionero, and Ready Pac Foods.

The vegetarian packaged salad segment is registering a significant rise in demand as it is healthy and nutritious due to the inclusion of various vegetables and fruits. The evolving vegetarianism and vegan trends have nudged the consumers to shift towards vegetarian foods worldwide; therefore, it is expected to account for the major share in the segment. Further, environmental and animal welfare factors have also supported the demand rise.

The supermarkets and hypermarkets are the leading sales channel, as these mass merchandisers are the most convenient one-stop shopping destinations for purchasing packaged salads along with other household products. Further, the online sales segment is also gaining traction due to its numerous product availability coupled with doorstep delivery facilities and price discounts.

Regional Analysis:

North America is witnessing a burgeoning demand for packaged salad as the consumers increasingly demanding for convenient, organic, and healthy food. Consumers prefer organic food products as they are free from any harmful synthetic chemicals and pesticides. According to the Organic Trade Association, U.S., organic vegetables and fruits consisted of 36% of the overall organic food sales in 2018. Along with this, its sales increased by 5.6% in 2018. Thus, these factors have bolstered the demand for packaged salads in the region.

Asia Pacific is anticipated to exhibit a significant demand rise for packaged salad owing to the growing health-consciousness among the consumers, especially the millennials. This is supported by the presence of a large consumer base in countries such as India and China. There is a significant rise in packaged food consumption in India due to the rapid urbanization and an increase in disposable income. Along with this, the government also promotes the consumption of a healthy, nutrient-rich diet to curb malnutrition and other health problems, which in turn is expected to fuel the regional market growth.

Segmentation

Key Industry Developments

• In October 2019, Chiquita Brands, LLC., launched new chopped kit flavours salads inspired by restaurant menu offerings and trending flavours in the U.S. to fortify its presence in the market.


• In October 2017, Dole Food Company, Inc., rolled out a new salad bag graphics design in the U.S. supermarkets to make it easier for the consumers to choose the right type of salad for them, owing to the rising healthier eating trends.