Understanding the Grab-and-Go Market: Guide for Food Retailers

Consumers are busier than ever and eager to prioritize healthier eating choices (and save money in the face of rising food prices). Grab-and-go food items have proved to be an excellent fit for these changing consumer needs, driving strong growth across categories ranging from salads to snacks to reheatable meals.

How can food retailers keep pace with the growing market for grab-and-go foods?

In this article, we explore key strategies, with a focus on the importance of packaging in this exciting growth market.

The Growth of the Grab-and-Go Food Market

From the rise of microwaveable packaging to a growing consumer focus on sustainable packaging, changing habits create new challenges for food retailers. One of the most important food packaging design trends is the ever-increasing importance of “grab-and-go food items.” Grab-and-go food refers to premade, packaged food products that offer consumers more options for fast snacks, convenient take-home meals, and healthy fresh foods. 

Grab-and-Go Food Examples

Grab-and-go food can include just about any item that is ready to eat. Popular examples include:

• Baked goods
• Snacks like nuts, dips, or dairy items
• Fresh fruits, vegetables, and salads
• Packaged prepared meals.
• Sandwiches
• Soups
• Breakfast foods

While consumers have always loved convenient treats, recent years have seen a dramatic expansion of this market category.

Five Reasons for Continued Growth in the Grab-and-Go Market

While the COVID crisis sparked the first explosive wave of growth, other trends like rising food prices and remote work proliferation are driving sustained momentum. Grab-and-go offerings are continuing to take off with consumers because they hit many sweet spots in the market for the following reasons: 

1. It is cheaper than eating out at a restaurant and faster than preparing food at home.
2. More options for fresh ingredients, like fruits and vegetables.
3. Consumers can pick up grab-and-go food as part of their regular shopping, on the way to or from work, or as a last-minute option that allows grocers to compete with fast food.
4. Compatibility with new markets like grocery delivery (particularly critical for reaching younger consumers).
5. The ability to choose fit-for-purpose portion sizes and limit food waste.

While the growing preference for grab-and-go food creates new inventory management challenges for food retailers, it also opens up opportunities to optimize revenue generation. For example, grab-and-go products can help balance deli and bakery revenue across morning, afternoon, and evening customer visits. 

Grab-and-Go Food Market Strategies for Retailers

Grab-and-go food growth has proven to be a valuable source of new opportunities across multiple food retail market segments:

• For grocers, grab-and-go packaging creates new market opportunities for products ranging from fresh fruits and vegetables to deli soups and sandwiches.
• For convenience stores, grab-and-go foods allow for broader fresh food offerings and new avenues for catering to consumers' preferences for healthy snacks. Convenience stores may need to work with a food service partner with experience preparing and packaging fresh food items.
• Restaurants can leverage their expertise in food preparation and expand their market through grab-and-go offerings while maintaining their brand image with fresh, quality food products.

From quick snacks to premade meals and sandwiches, grab-and-go food items have proven their ability to get consumers' attention. And with this growth comes new competition for all three market segments above. Progressive Grocer notes that “grocers and vendors are upping their game to compete with c-stores and restaurants.” In this context, the right packaging is critical to helping grab-and-go products stand out on the shelf. 

Key Packaging Features for the Grab-and-Go Market

The right packaging is important for any food product, but it is especially important for showcasing the quality and maintaining the freshness of grab-and-go food items.

• Packaging must keep food fresh  — both to keep food looking its best for consumers and to reduce shrinkage and boost ROI. Explore the science of shelf life for food packaging.
• Tamper-resistant packaging designs are an important element for providing a quality customer experience and ensuring consumers’ utmost confidence in the safety of fresh food items.
• As retailers adapt to the grab-and-go market, innovative food packaging design plays a key role in maintaining a coherent approach to branding.
• Microwaveable packaging is increasingly vital for ensuring that meals can be safely reheated.
• For many foods, transparent packaging is important for allowing consumers to see the quality of the food inside.
• Sturdy packaging needs to stand up to the rigors of shelving and delivery.

Together, these features will help food brands put their best foot forward to consumers, enhancing food quality while helping products stand out on increasingly crowded grab-and-go shelves.

Custom Grab-and-Go Food Industry Solutions

Custom packaging can play an important role in helping food retailers achieve the right mix of features while controlling costs and presenting the brand’s image in a positive light. You can learn more about the custom packaging design process here, from initial ideation to final manufacturing and quality assurance. 

Lacerta has years of experience helping food retailers assess their packaging needs, and we are proud to offer a reliable source for packaging solutions geared to specific market needs. If you need help identifying the next steps for enhancing your grab-and-go food packaging strategy, we encourage you to contact our team.