Los Alamitos, CA – The holidays are right around the corner and soon shoppers will be thinking about what to serve their holiday guests.
With the growth of plant-based eating, many of today’s shoppers are looking for more meatless main dishes to include on their holiday table. One-third of Americans consider themselves to be “flexitarians”—someone who fluctuates between enjoying a plant-based and a meat-based diet1. In fact, 60% of people are more likely to include at least one plant-based main dish on their holiday table than in the past2. This means shoppers will be stocking up on a variety of fruits and vegetables for the center of the plate this year, so be sure to offer options that will delight their senses.
“As more shoppers are looking for meatless main dish alternatives, it’s important for retailers to make plant-based foods a focus in their stores,” says Alex Berkley, director of sales for Frieda’s. “Frieda’s Colored Cauliflower is a great option for holiday main dishes such as whole roasted colored cauliflower with salsa verde. Cauliflower continues to explode in popularity, and adding colored cauliflower to your produce set will keep you on trend with consumers,” Berkley says. Just as versatile as white cauliflower, colored cauliflower—which comes in purple, orange and green—will add a colorful splash to the holiday table.
Veggie-based mains are perfect for “Friendsgiving” celebrations that continue to grow in popularity – particularly among millennials who are looking to try something new and “show off” their skills with innovative dishes. This gathering among friends means the Thanksgiving holiday has transformed into multiple meals. Sixty-five percent of people plan to attend multiple holiday celebrations,3 so shoppers will have more opportunities to buy and cook and will seek out veg variety when they shop.
Add signage and recipe cards to round out a full-scale display of plant-based main dish ideas in your produce department—it’s a sure way to inspire shoppers.
Contact your Frieda’s sales manager for more ways to maximize your plant-based opportunities in stores this holiday season!
1. Gervis, Zoya. “One Third of Americans Consider Themselves ‘Flexitarian’.” New York Post, 26 Oct. 2018, https://nypost.com/2018/10/26/one-third-of-americans-consider-themselves-flexitarian/.
2. C+R research, 2019
3. Wakefield research, Sept. 2018
About Frieda’s Inc.
Frieda’s Specialty Produce has been inspiring new food experiences for friends, families and food lovers everywhere since 1962. From kiwifruit and dragon fruit to Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes and habanero peppers, Frieda’s has introduced more than 200 unique fruits and vegetables to the U.S. marketplace. Founded by produce industry trailblazer Dr. Frieda Rapoport Caplan, subject of the 2015 documentary “Fear No Fruit,” the family company is owned and operated by Frieda’s daughters, Karen Caplan and Jackie Caplan Wiggins, in Orange County, California. Find Frieda’s on Facebook, @FriedasProduce and Friedas.com. Inspire. Taste. Love.
