Fresh Cut Snacks now available from Wegmans

Just in time for the back-to-school season, Wegmans Food Markets is rolling out a new line of healthy, fresh-cut options for snack time.

Fresh Cut Snacks are now available at checkout lanes near the Market Café, according to the company. The snacks are said to be “grab-and-go easy” and come in a variety of combinations.

“All of the snacks are quick ways to add healthy fuel to your tank when it’s running low and your next meal is an hour or two away,” said Tom Colopietro, category merchant at Wegmans. “They’re priced at $4 or less each, and have a calorie range of 280 to 520 calories. Several are made with no gluten ingredients and feature organic items.” 

Americans are big snackers, multiple studies of eating patterns show. The NPD Group, which conducts research for business on behavior trends, estimates the typical American eats more than 1,000 snacks a year. Another research organization, The Hartman Group, says snacking now accounts for 53 percent of all “eating occasions” in the U.S.

Wegmans reasoned that with all that snacking going on, the time was right to introduce Fresh Cut Snacks.

“Our people and our customers often tell us that healthy eating is important, but they struggle with finding the time to plan and prepare fresh, healthy choices,” Colopietro said. “We’re learning that for many customers, ready in a few minutes isn’t fast enough. What they’re really looking for is something that’s healthy, tastes good, and is ready to eat right away.”

A Wegmans culinary team led by Eric Wendorff, corporate operations executive chef, started working up combinations in the test kitchen.

“We focused on taste appeal and texture contrasts – crunchy versus smooth and creamy, chewy versus silky soft. Our people also tweeted customers to find out about their favorite snack ideas. Then we took the ideas to the nutrition team at Wegmans, which offered a few tweaks to boost the nutritional values.”