Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
Issue link: https://specialtyfoodmagazine.epubxp.com/i/116674
THE STATE OF THE SPECIALTY FOOD INDUSTRY 2013 BY RON TANNER Specialty food is among the fastest growing industries in the U.S., with sales skyrocketing by 22.1 percent between 2010 and 2012. Last year, dollar volume for the industry grew an impressive 14.3 percent. To pinpoint the data behind this boom, the Specialty Food Association and Specialty Food Magazine worked with Mintel International and SPINS to track sales of specialty food products through supermarkets, gourmet stores and natural food retailers, as well as to collect benchmarking facts and figures from the supply chain. Here are some of the highlights from 2013's State of the Specialty Food Industry: • Total specialty food sales in 2012 topped $85.87 billion. • Cheeses and Cheese Alternatives is the largest category, with $3.6 billion in 2012, followed by Yogurt and Kefir at $2.3 billion. • The fastest-growing categories include Energy Bars and Gels, Shelf-Stable Functional Beverages, Frozen Fruits and Vegetables, Yogurt and Kefir, and Eggs. • Only three of the 51 specialty food categories (excluding Other categories) declined between 2010 and 2012: Rice Cakes, Pudding and Shelf-Stable Desserts, and Refrigerated Pasta and Pizza Sauces. • Segments that underperformed include Frozen Lunch and Dinner Entrees; Oils and Vinegars; Baking Mixes, Supplies and Flour; and Pickles, Peppers, Olives and Other Vegetables. • Snacks had the most new product introductions, followed by Meat, Poultry and Egg Products. • Natural food stores recorded the biggest sales increase among retail channels, at 28.2 percent, between 2010 and 2012. • Gluten-free and convenient/easy-to-prepare were the characteristics most likely to be included in manufacturer development plans for 2013. • Average annual sales for specialty food manufacturers is $1.71 million. • Eighty-three percent of specialty food manufacturers recorded sales increases in 2012. • Importers report that Mediterranean is the fastestgrowing cuisine, followed by Latin, Italian and Vietnamese. • The average specialty food store is slightly over 5,000 square feet, with 1,366 SKUs. Nearly 2,000 customers purchase each week. • Ninety-five percent of specialty food stores carry all-natural products and 88 percent feature local, which is defined as being produced within 200 miles of the location. ABOUT THE RESEARCH The Specialty Food Association's State of the Specialty Food Industry is a joint research project prepared by Mintel International and SPINS. The research encompasses three years of sales data for 59 specialty food categories, pulled from SPINS' database of mainstream and natural food stores. In addition, Mintel surveyed specialty food manufacturers, importers, distributors, brokers and retailers to develop the statistics presented in this report. Illustrations by Funnel Inc. FOR DEFINITIONS and brand examples of specialty food segments researched for this report, visit specialtyfood.com/onlinehighlights/soidefinitions. TEA 2A THE STATE OF THE SPECIALTY FOOD INDUSTRY 2013 TEA