Meal plans, meal solutions, meals made easy — no matter the title, there is no denying that consumers are seeking help planning their families’ meals. According to recent Nielsen reporting, after childcare, nutrition is one of the most serious concerns facing parents. Unfortunately, less than half of shoppers believe their main grocery retailer communicates with them in a meaningful way. What a huge opportunity for retailers and produce departments.
Knowing your customers and what their needs are is the first step to capitalizing on this growing sales opportunity.
Sunday Meal Prep Heroes — Check out your Instagram feed on a Sunday afternoon and you will see consumers showing off their meal-planning skills. Many of them swear by this practice, and the trend is reaching beyond influencers and bloggers. One of the key components to its success is the old mantra, “work smarter, not harder.” These Sunday meal prep heroes know that if they can get two or more uses out of one ingredient, it is a win. The opportunity we have is to showcase each produce item’s versatility. Recipe cards, signage showing multiple ways to prep, and demos or cooking classes will most appeal to this group of shoppers.
Time-starved Warriors — While some consumers can carve out a few hours on Sunday to meal plan their week, others have their weekends (and weekdays) filled with work, youth sport commitments and family obligations. “What do you want for dinner?” is the dreaded question texted back-and-forth around 4 p.m. leading to the after-work rush into our stores. Merchandising a combination of pre-cut produce with ready-made center- of- the-plate options from the deli (think rotisserie chickens) is key. Location of the display is just as important. Do not make these customers walk around the store searching for their dinner. Having a display front-and-center in the produce department will make their lives easier and lead to incremental sales.
Eager and Willing Beginners — Although to us, meal prepping or meal solutions have been around for a while, it is still a trend in its infancy to your average consumer. Many still have their New Year’s resolutions fresh in their mind and they are seeking advice and help so they can stick to them. Merchandising like items together (think sweet onions, peppers, and sausage) and providing resources and tips to help them get started will be very welcomed by this group. If your store has a retail dietitian, this is the time for them to really shine. Offering store tours and mini cooking sessions geared toward teaching customers how to shop and prep for their week of meals will ensure they return to your store week after week.
In a quest to provide families with the tools they need, Produce for Kids is partnering with several health-conscious brands and commodities for the first ever Mission for Nutrition, celebrating National Nutrition Month and focusing on meal planning. The program reaches shoppers through a kit distributed to more than 400 retail dietitians for use in stores. The dietitians will have the option to share a mini meal planning magazine with shoppers as well as create a display to be entered to win a $1,000 continued education scholarship. On www.themissionfornutrition.com, families can download a free meal planning eBook with a registered dietitian approved meal plan, access easy recipes for busy weekdays and enter to win kitchen gadgets to help with meal planning. During the month of March the Produce for Kids social channels will focus in on everything meal planning.
Consumers will always be seeking ways to make their lives a little easier. It is our job to help them put nutritious meals on their tables quickly and easily. If we take some time to understand their needs and tweak our merchandising to respond effectively, we will be able to offer needed solutions and ultimately drive sales.
(Trish James is the vice president of Produce for Kids)
