Magazine: Super healthy

Current trends favour ready-to-eat salads practically in every respect, the category keeps on expanding – Kristóf Kemény, the owner of K&K Family informed our magazine. More and more people wish to eat healthy food and because of the rapid pace of life the popularity of convenience products is on the rise. Consumers are looking for fresh food in shops but they don’t have enough time to prepare them – so we give them tasty, fresh, high-quality convenience salads.

Zsuzsa Lóczki, key account manager with eisberg informed us that in their case the same proportions are 70 and 30 percent. In 2015 they sold 7,000 tons of convenience salad. Sales have been growing by two-digit numbers for years. Márta Galácz, managing director of Kotányi told Trade magazin that the health trend has been strengthening for years, this is why the company has decided to launch its Salad and Light Cuisine spice mixes. In the last three years they experienced a sales growth in the salad mix segment.

According to Zita Tóth-Csanádi, sales and marketing deputy CEO of Univer, salad dressing sales didn’t move in the last 2-3 years, Univer have been producing salad dressings without any artificial preservatives for years, and all products contain omega6 and omega3 fatty acids. Attila Ádám, commercial director of Ga Food sees the spreading of Italian-style salads (eaten with olive oil, lemon, balsamic vinegar). They distribute numerous products – for instance tuna in several forms and flavours – which can form an important part of the diet of those who like to eat healthy. They also sell olive oil and olives and in the last 2-3 years these became more popular among Hungarian consumers.

Ms Lóczki shared the news with us that they have just put a new Organic Salad Mix on the market and told that the company’s seasonal products are very popular. Mr Kemény opines that Hungarians aren’t traditionally salad eaters, therefore international trends can easily shape their salad eating habits. The mono salad segment is expanding and there is also growing demand for products that can be eaten instantly: this is the reason why K&K Family came out with 3in1 Supreme, a salad product complete with dressing and seed mix. Ms Galácz talked to us about putting Hungarian-style and Bear’s Garlic salad mixes on the market last year.

Ms Tóth-Csanádi added that in addition to basic dressings such as Thousand Island, dill and garlic flavoured dressings, they have also developed new favourites as well – at the moment they offer seven salad dressings. Mr Ádám told us that they distribute olives in 3,000g product size and 1-litre extra virgin olive oils too. On demand they could also supply Horeca units with 5-10-120kg olive products and 5-10-25-litre olive oils. Ms Galácz informed that Kotányi’s gastro selection consists of two types of salad spice mix (tzatziki and classic). Ms Tóth-Csanádi spoke to us about the company’s gastronomy-sector team, which serves restaurants all over the country. Ms Lóczki explained that Horeca units use their 100-1,000g products; it is also them who supply McDonald’s restaurants in Hungary and Austria. Mr Kemény told that their products are available in 0.5kg and 1kg sizes because of partner demand. The company’s biggest customer is KFC.