Dive Brief:
- Grocery shoppers are becoming increasingly likely to turn to deli-prepared foods as a replacement for restaurant meals, with the percentage of consumers who feel that way more than doubling between 2017 and 2025, according to a recent survey by FMI — The Food Industry Association.
- Nearly a quarter of shoppers who participated in the poll said they buy less food from quick service or fast casual restaurants now than they did a year ago, while 85% said they purchase about the same amount or more deli-prepared foods from grocery stores.
- Half of consumers consider the deli-prepared foods at their primary grocery store to be only “somewhat appetizing,” underscoring the importance for grocers to continue improving the image of these offerings.
Dive Insight:
The data from FMI suggests shoppers are increasingly opting to purchase prepared foods from grocery stores as a way to save money while still enjoying the convenience and luxury of having someone else take care of the cooking.
Twenty-eight percent of shoppers in the survey said they buy deli-prepared foods from grocers instead of going to a restaurant, up from 12% in 2017, according to FMI’s The Power of Foodservice at Retail 2025 report. Meanwhile, the percentage of respondents who said they select deli-prepared options in place of home-cooked meals declined markedly over the same period, from 50% to 30% — an indication that shoppers are focused on saving money as they eat more at home.
More than half of respondents said they believe deli-prepared foods represent a “good value,” while 37% indicated that they feel they are just as affordable as restaurant options.
Shoppers’ interest in deli-prepared foods is translating into sales increases for grocers, FMI found. Retail foodservice sales were up 1.6% year over year through the 52 weeks that ended on Aug. 9, to $52.1 billion, according to NielsenIQ data FMI cited. Unit sales also rose 1.6% during that period.
Shoppers tend to learn about deli-prepared meal options by walking around grocery stores or from in-store signage, underscoring the importance for grocers of paying attention to factors such as the smell and appearance of the items they sell, FMI noted in the report.
More than 60% learn about a store’s options by exploring the offerings, and about a quarter said they find out from social media. Only 19% of respondents turn to apps to become familiar with grocers’ deli-prepared offerings.
FMI found that people often make meal-planning decisions on the fly. Sixty percent of survey respondents indicated that they decide what to have for lunch on the same day, and 54% make same-day decisions about breakfast. Almost half settle on what to eat for dinner on the same day they eat the meal.
While a majority (67%) of shoppers find their grocery stores helpful in meal planning, nearly 40% said they’d like their store to be more helpful.
The report is based on an online survey on 1,571 grocery shoppers in the U.S. conducted between July 21 and Aug. 5. FMI also took data provided by marketing research firm NielsenIQ into account.
