From Festive Feasting to Rapid Resolutions
If it’s the most wonderful time of the year, it’s also the one most synonymous with eating and drinking, whether indulging in meals and snacks at holiday parties or, a few weeks later, looking to take off extra pounds gained during the season.
Even as the holiday season segues from near-nonstop festivities and celebrations to resolutions and a desire for something fresh and different, deli, bakery and prepared food departments remain a constant hub, offering solutions for all types of eating occasions and interests.
Need a cheese tray for a party you’re attending? The supermarket deli has it. No time to bake a dessert for your Christmas dinner? The supermarket bakery’s look and taste like they came out of your oven. Looking for leaner lunchmeat after you step on the scale on Jan. 1? The deli is here for you, with plenty of better-for-you options.
Especially in the stretch between Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day, supermarket delis and bakeries are go-to resources for party planning, gift giving and, in between all of that, easy, everyday foods that fit with time-crunched schedules. And, not long after the fresh start associated with New Year’s, another type of kickoff is just around the corner: Super Bowl-related products and promotions.
Likewise, companies that supply to delis, bakeries and prepared foods sections of supermarkets, mass merchandisers and specialty stores are continually developing and improving products that meet consumers’ needs, whatever they may be at a certain point in time, or, for that matter, point in the day. From soup to nuts – or in this case of some recent industry news, from soup to ham – brands are expanding their offerings to include more convenient, premium, and helpful products and accompanying promotions and materials.
These new products come at a time when consumers’ preferences continue to evolve, whether it’s where they buy their food (hint: c-stores are gaining) and how they are sharing and updating traditional favorite recipes.