Sandwiches and Handheld Products Show Market Strength

Prepared sandwiches and other handheld fare are satisfying consumer demand for convenience in both grocery retail and foodservice channels. In the deli, for example, sales of prepared sandwiches reached $3.8 billion for the yearlong period ending Oct. 6, 2024, according to Circana.

After burgers, grilled cheese is the most popular sandwich in the United States, according to a 2024 Carl Buddig and Company survey. It is followed by chicken, turkey, ham, tuna, egg salad, peanut butter and jelly, pulled pork, and po’boys.

Chicken/biscuit breakfast sliders, burgers that deliver sweet heat (e.g., Whataburger’s Mango Habanero Crispy Chicken Spicy Double), and smashed burgers like Sonic Drive-In’s Peanut Butter Bacon SuperSONIC Double Cheeseburger, are heating up restaurant drive-through lanes. White Castle debuted frozen Double Cheese Sliders at retail.

Products made with premium meats are moving into the spotlight. Examples include the American Wagyu French Dip sandwich from Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop and the Mesquite Grilled Sausage Sampler from Logan’s Roadhouse.

Watch for restaurants to break new ground with globally inspired grilled cheese offerings and a new generation of vegetarian sandwiches. The Pita Pit offers a Greek Grilled Cheese in pita bread, and Carl’s Jr. has a new Fried Zucchini Star sandwich.

Opaa! ReadyCarved Beef & Lamb Gyro Carved Slices, Chicken Shawarma Carved Slices, and Pork Al Pastor Carved Slices from Grecian Delight/Kronos are perfectly positioned to meet the demand for making globally inspired sandwiches at home.

Atoria’s Family Bakery offers Mini Lavash Flatbreads made with upcycled flours. Scallion Pancakes are a new frozen handheld breakfast option at the Trader Joe’s grocery chain. Burger King debuted flame-grilled flatbread Breakfast Grill’Wich sandwiches. For the 12-week period ended September 8, 2024, unit sales of do-it-yourself tortilla/egg roll/wonton wrappers jumped 79.7% versus the same period a year ago, Circana reports.

Handheld Entrées

The demand for more convenient versions of classic sandwiches is driving growth of handheld frozen entrées, with sales up 4.9% to $998 million (not including breakfast products) for the 12 weeks ending Oct. 6, 2024, per Circana.

Smucker’s Uncrustables enjoyed unit sales gains of 29% after the launch of a new Peanut Butter & Raspberry Spread variety, Circana reports. Unit sales of private label handheld non-breakfast entrées jumped by 34.5% for the 12 weeks ending Oct. 6, per Circana.

Sandwich Bros.’ Chicken, Burger, and Ham & Cheese Melts are easy-to-prepare frozen pocket sandwiches. The company also offers a variety of breakfast sandwich options. New Stouffer’s Melt-FULLS Sandwiches are air-fryer ready; the Five-Cheese Grilled Cheese Sandwich provides 27 grams of protein.

Peanut Butter & Raspberry Spread is the first new sandwich flavor in the Uncrustables brand in more than a decade. Photo courtesy of The J.M. Smucker Co.

Delimex Crispy Quesadillas use Kraft Heinz’s new 360CRISP microwave technology to deliver authentic pan-fried crispness. Charlotte’s Grilled Toasties frozen grilled cheese sandwiches are toaster ready. Intensely flavored frozen Stuffed Buffalo Crunchers from Farm Rich feature breaded mozzarella coupled with spicy Frank’s RedHot Buffalo Sauce.

Fun fusion handhelds have strong consumer appeal. Red’s frozen burritos are now available in a Grilled Chicken & Cheddar variety. The Del Taco chain introduced a Chipotle Carne Asada Steak Burrito. Velvet Taco offers Nashville Hot Tofu Tacos and Korean Fried Rice Tacos.

Globally inspired hand pies are a major missed market opportunity. Product developers should look beyond empanadas and samosas for inspiration from products such as Haitian meat pies, Eastern European pirozhki, or Chinese Xian Bing meat pies.

Breakfast Product Trends

Although handheld items are the largest frozen breakfast sector, unit sales were flat for the 12 weeks ended Oct. 6, 2024, due to a lack of innovative new products and fast-food pricing deals, according to Circana data. In contrast, the “other” breakfast segment, which includes novelty/trendy product forms such as frittatas, enjoyed unit growth of 11%, per Circana.

Applegate expanded into the handheld frozen breakfast category with its new “heat-and-carry” Applegate Naturals Pancake & Sausage Stick product. Belgian Boys Bite-Sized Pancakes & Go with Chocolate Chip Butter comes in travel cup packaging and is easy to heat and eat. Schlotzky’s launched Bacon Bon, a cinnamon roll topped with bacon, in partnership with Cinnabon.

Jimmy Dean frozen Chicken Buttermilk Biscuit breakfast sandwiches are positioned to rival breakfast options available at quick-service restaurant chains. Veggies Made Great offers frozen handheld Loaded Breakfast Potato Bakes, with 5 grams of protein in each one.

Bits and Bites

Sales of frozen snacks and appetizers reached $920 million for the 12 weeks ending Oct. 6, 2024, up 5% versus the prior year, per Circana. Nearly half (47%) of millennial consumers buy frozen snacks/appetizers, as do 41% of Gen Z, 32% of Gen X, and 18% of baby boomers, according to the American Frozen Food Institute.

Datassential reports that half of diners usually purchase an appetizer when they go out for dinner. After wings, elote, loaded fries, salmon sashimi, pretzel bites, and popcorn chicken were the fastest-growing appetizers on restaurant menus last year, according to Datassential. Watch for restaurants to offer more mini appetizer sampling flights.

A 2024 YouGov survey shows that chicken nuggets and tater tots rank among Americans’ top 20 most popular foods. Stouffer’s Bite-FULLS Loaded Tots are a satisfying snack or meal. New varieties in the Totino’s Pizza Rolls lineup include Spicy Hellfire Club Pepperoni Pizza Rolls and Spicy Hellfire Club Cheese Pizza Rolls.

Hooters introduced its flagship Buffalo Style Popcorn Chicken into retail. Echo Falls Smoked Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon Nuggets are applewood smoked and honey cured. Mrs. T’s introduced Mini Pierogies in four varieties, each of which comes with a dipping sauce.

Target’s Good & Gather brand rolled out frozen Elote-Inspired Corn & Cheese Masa Bites. Bertolli Arancini Parmesan Breaded Risotto Balls are a quick appetizer option. Chung’s Gourmet Foods offers a 32-piece Asian frozen appetizer assortment tray that includes four sauces.

Vietnamese spring rolls, Chinese sesame balls, Brazilian coxinhas (chicken croquettes), and Filipino lumpia (fried spring rolls) all might serve as inspiration for product developers seeking to create new frozen snacks for grocery retail. Classic English tea sandwiches and small Italian Tramezzini sandwiches are product concepts still untapped by CPG product developers.ft