Gourmet and Specialty Foods Moving off the Shelves at a Record Pace

by Susan Davis on 11/18/09 at 12:07 pm

Looks like these suppliers are reaping the rewards

Despite the recession, specialty food items are holding their own as sophisticated foodies refuse to give up some of their guilty pleasures.  While many consumers are scaling back the number of times they dine out each month, these same consumers seem to be spending the money they save on their favorite luxury items in the specialty product aisles of their local supermarkets.

Fancy, high-end chocolate, gourmet cheeses and flavored olive oils and just a few of the categories that are showing strong sales, despite the stagnant economy.  Customers are becoming more price conscious, but they are also getting more adventurous in their quest to extract as much flavor as possible from their buying buck.

Hot item At Your Local Shop

Interestingly, recent sales of gourmet and specialty foods have been growing faster than any time in the past five years, according to consumer research by Packaged Facts.  Recession?  What recession?

This is obviously great news for supermarkets, which sell more than half of all specialty food items, according to National Association for the Specialty Food Trade.

Though more and more people are cooking meals at home, true food connoisseurs have not lowered their standards, even as they change their food buying and eating habits.  So while restaurants may be losing business, supermarkets are noticing that their higher end food products are selling just as well (or better) than before the recession, thanks to gastronomes who continue to demand quality food.

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