Fresh Express announced four new flavors across its popular salad kit lines: Bacon Thousand Island and Kickin’ Bacon Ranch Chopped Salad Kits, and Italian Balsamic and Spinach & Bacon Salad Kits.

As a result of the pandemic, consumers have scaled back on restaurant or out-of-home dining and most meals are now prepared and enjoyed at home, driving increased demand for meal solutions that are flavorful, nutritious and easy to prepare. With the introduction of these new recipes, Fresh Express is providing consumers with more variety than ever before and furthering its commitment to offering products that are consistently, deliciously, fresh.

“Throughout the past year, we’ve seen that consumers are increasingly looking to add convenience and flavor to their at-home meals, without sacrificing quality,” said Fabian Pereira, Vice President of Marketing and Innovation at Fresh Express. “Our new salad kits combine premium ingredients like honey butter cornbread crisps and smoked bacon with fresh, crisp lettuce and vegetables to make it easy for consumers to enjoy a chef-crafted and nutritious meal with minimal time spent in the kitchen.”

The increased consumer demand has also driven strong growth for the value added salad (VAS) category. The VAS Kits category continues to grow and remains an important segment in Total VAS, with a 37% share. In 2020, VAS Kits were up 16.1%, while Total VAS was up 12.2%, and Total Chopped Kits were up 21.8%[i].

Fresh Express Bacon Thousand Island and Kickin’ Bacon Ranch Chopped Salad Kits offer two delicious ways to enjoy smoked bacon, a favorite among consumers and a popular ingredient on most restaurant menus[ii].

• Bacon Thousand Island: Fresh iceberg and green leaf lettuce layered with unique sweet and savory ingredients including honey butter cornbread crisps, Parmesan cheese crisps, smoked uncured bacon bits and a creamy Thousand Island dressing.
• Kickin’ Bacon Ranch: Garden fresh green leaf lettuce, green and red cabbage, carrots, and green onions finished with a touch of heat and zesty flavor from Jalapeno Ranch dressing and topped with tortilla strips and crispy uncured bacon bits.

Fresh Express Italian Balsamic and Spinach & Bacon Salad Kits combine classically delicious flavors with premium toppings that reflect today’s consumer preferences.

• Italian Balsamic: Fresh iceberg and green leaf lettuce, and radicchio tossed with a White Balsamic Vinaigrette, focaccia croutons and an Italian three-cheese blend.
• Spinach & Bacon: Vibrant and tender baby spinach and spring mix combined with red cabbage, carrots, mesquite-smoked slivered almonds, smoked uncured bacon bits and a Sweet Onion Dijon dressing.

Fresh Express Bacon Thousand Island and Kickin’ Bacon Ranch Chopped Kits and Spinach & Bacon and Italian Balsamic Salad Kits are available now in the refrigerated produce department at retailers nationwide, including Albertsons, Safeway, Hannaford, Food Lion and Harris Teeter, with a suggested retail price of $3.69.

About Fresh Express

Fresh Express is the brand leader in Value Added Salads and is dedicated to providing consumers with healthy, convenient ready-to-eat salads, leafy greens, vegetables and fruits. With the invention of its special Keep Crisp bag in the 1980s, Fresh Express pioneered the retail packaged salad category and was the first to make them available to grocery stores nationwide. Today, Fresh Express fresh salads come in more than 150 different varieties offering exciting new flavors and convenient new ways to meet the daily dietary requirements for both conventional and organic fresh produce. More than 20 million consumers each week enjoy healthy, convenient ready-to-eat Fresh Express salads, spinach and vegetables.

[i] IRI VAS Total US – Multi Outlet YTD 2020 w/e 12/27/2020

[ii] Datassential SNAP! 2019