Fresh Cut & Foodservice

Consumers aren’t backing off from their desire for fresher, healthier and longer-lasting food items, from single people stocking their refrigerators to giant university cafeterias feeding hundreds of people at a time.

In those larger settings, fresh cut produce provided by foodservice companies can answer consumer demands — which are always changing — in a big way.

Foodservice consumer attitudes toward fresh cut have become more receptive, said John Alpers, vice president of sales for Royal Food Service, an Atlanta-based company that supplies foodservice customers in the Southeast.

“With better cutting and packaging techniques, the consumer is easier swayed to try some of the products,” he said.

Salad mixes are still the most popular items shipped by Royal, said Alpers. Customers are expressing increased demand for fresh-cut onions, broccoli florets, hard squashes and individually wrapped fruit and vegetable products.  Sales declines of individual items are primarily due to reasons other than changing consumer tastes, he added.

“Any decline that we see with school business is due to the price point,” Alpers explained. “Schools are looking to pay less than 30 cents per serving.”

At foodservice giant Sysco, the three most popular fresh-cut items are romaine lettuce, iceberg lettuce and coleslaw, said Rich Dachman, vice president of produce. That may be changing, however.

“While we have observed a decline in iceberg lettuce, the demand for romaine lettuce and sliced tomatoes is rising,” said Dachman. “We’re observing and experiencing an increased popularity of new blends of spring mix that are more hearty than their predecessor blends.”

For Royal, cut fruit by the tray or the tub continues to be popular with hotel, banquet and country club customers, said Alpers. Popular items in this category include gold pineapple, pineapple with red grapes, orange and/or grapefruit sections, honeydew and cantaloupe chunks, chopped collards and whole peeled and cut potatoes.

Technological trends have been playing a key role in addressing how consumers perceive freshness and longevity of fresh-cut produce.

Better technology, combined with other trends, should create new inroads for fresh cut, according to Dachman.

“As advances in technology allow for increases in quality and shelf life — and the ability to maintain a steady labor market becomes more difficult for restaurants — we believe there will continue to be an increase in demand for fresh-cut produce for suppliers and distributors,” he said.

Demographics will drive another future trend, Alpers believes. At the retail level, the combination of smaller household sizes and busier lives can work to the advantage of fresh-cut produce.

“As more and more people live jam-packed, work-filled lives, the alternatives for home-cooked meals continue to be made from fresh-cut produce,” said Alpers. “Retail salad blends, smaller pack sizes, controlled portions and variety all play in a final decision people are making from grocery stores.”

While foodservice has been a mainstay in providing fresh-cut produce to large institutions such as schools, stores and “fast casual” restaurants, the high-end restaurant market beckons as a growth opportunity and way to convince an extremely influential group of customers: the chefs who run their kitchens.

At Royal, approximately 20 percent of sales are to white tablecloth restaurants, said Alpers.

“The perception of fresh cut continues to grow as the finished products continue to get better and better over time,” he said.

Hotels have proven to be more amenable to fresh-cut produce, according to both Dachman and Alpers.

“Our experience has been that most high-end chefs want to cut their own produce. Large hotels have proven to be good customers for fresh-cut fruit,” said Dachman.

With increased quality and diversity of products, fresh-cut produce may be able to make even more inroads into the high-end market.

“Perceptions can be improved by offering high-quality, unusual items,” Alpers said. “Butternut squash, organic field mix, turnip and collard greens, and so on, make a positive effect on the way fresh-cut products are viewed.”

                                                                                                     –Lee A. Dean, contributing writer

Photos:

Harold Glaspy of Royal Food service delivers fresh-cut produce to customers in th Atlanta, Ga., area. Photo by Reed Crouch, Royal Food Service.

Fresh-cut onions and sweet potaotes from Royal Food Service are turned into delectable treats for customers of Yeah! Burger in Atlanta. Photo by Richard Greet, Royal Food Service.

Use of fresh-cut produce in higher-end restaurants and hotels has increased as the diversity and quality of products have expanded, experts say. Photo from Sysco.

 

 



Be sure to check out our other specialty agriculture brands

Organic Grower