With half of the US market’s food intake being consumed away from the home, global fresh produce suppliers have a major opportunity to tap into the US$500bn in annual sales on the US foodservice market.
Just last week US restaurant operator Wendy’s announced that it will buy 2m pounds of strawberries (over 900 tonnes) and 1m lbs of blueberries (more than 450 tonnes) from now through September for its popular seasonal salad range.
“Thank goodness berries are ripening on the vine – at last,” said Derek Detenber, Wendy's vice-president of brand management, in a press release. “Wendy's fans have been clamoring for the return of our Berry Almond Chicken Salad.”
While Wendy’s says the salads will feature fresh US blueberries and California strawberries, the popularity of the seasonal salad indicates the growing opportunities for fresh produce suppliers worldwide, particularly those with a counter-seasonal offer, to tap into year-round demand on North America’s huge foodservice market.
Speaking at the Global Berry Congress 2013 in Santiago, Chile, last April, Robert Verloop of Naturipe Farms confirmed that there are “virtually untapped opportunities” for fresh produce suppliers on the US foodservice market since the category has largely been left to foodservice distributors.
“Foodservice operators want consistency, year-round availability and consistent sizes,” Verloop explained.
Wendy’s claims to have sold well over 100m salads in the US last year, in entree, half-size and side options.
