This flagship food product could disappear from supermarkets

A food product that is available in every supermarket may no longer be available to customers. And that's coming soon.

In supermarkets, the products sold are not always the same and evolve. Some of them, which are no longer successful or lose their appeal over the years, gradually disappear. This is the case for a product that is nevertheless very common on the shelves. The latter sees its sales decrease and therefore its place on the shelves reduced. According to Emily Mayer, expert in consumer products at the Circana institute, with TF1, over the last five years, this is 8% less sales and this has been accelerating since the beginning of 2024.

These are bagged salads. They are practical because they are already washed and drained and therefore ready to use. They are therefore synonymous with saving time. But there are many 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, director of communications at Bonduelle, to AFP.

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Its price has also become a deterrent. In the example of TF1, a 180 gram bag of Bonduelle brand lettuce, purchased in a supermarket, costs 2.03 euros. While on the market, 700 grams of lettuce costs 1.10 euros, a bag four times fuller but half the price. The French therefore prefer to opt for fresh produce. 

A study of 60 million consumers also revealed a few months ago that some bagged salads could be "too often contaminated by 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% drop in its turnover in this area over seven years. This would involve closing its production site located in the Meuse. The company is therefore looking for a buyer for its 159 employees. In addition to the French people's lack of interest in bagged salad, Bonduelle is facing competition from distributor brands. The group therefore wants to focus on its catering business as well as on canned and frozen products. This approach also goes towards the objective of reducing the use of plastic packaging.