A food product present in all supermarkets may no longer be offered to customers. And it’s coming soon.
In supermarkets, the products sold are not always the same and evolve. Some of them, which no longer meet with success or lose their appeal over the years, gradually disappear. This is the case for a product that is very common on the shelves. The latter sees its sales decrease and therefore its place on the shelves reduced. According to Emily Mayer, consumer products expert at the Circana Institute, TF1over the last five years, it is 8% less sales and this has accelerated since the beginning of 2024.
These are bagged salads. However, they are practical since they are already washed and wrung out and therefore ready to use. They are therefore synonymous with saving time. But there are multiple explanations for the drop in sales. First of all, the French are losing the habit of eating salad at the table. “Before, salad was eaten as a starter, today we eat differently,” explains Céline Barral, communications director for Bonduelle, to AFP.
Its price has also become a barrier. In the example of TF1a 180 gram bag of lettuce from the Bonduelle brand, purchased in a supermarket, costs 2.03 euros. While on the market, 700 grams of lettuce are worth 1.10 euros, a bag four times fuller but half as expensive. The French then prefer to opt for fresh.
A study of 60 million consumers also revealed a few months ago that certain bagged salads could be “too often contaminated with pesticides”. Of the 26 references, only five escaped contamination, according to the study.
The Bonduelle company is also feeling this difficulty: it has announced that it wants to sell its bagged salad business in France, following a 15% reduction in its turnover from these in seven years. This would involve the closure of its production site located in the Meuse. The company is therefore looking for a buyer for its 159 employees. In addition to the French disinterest in bagged salad, Bonduelle faces competition from distributor brands. The group then wishes to concentrate on its catering section as well as canned and frozen foods. This approach also goes towards the objective of reducing the use of plastic packaging.