LOS ANGELES, CA - Building the perfect lunch or dinner will be a breeze for Albertsons shoppers, as the retailer has implemented a new salad bar concept in-store. Teaming up with Picadeli, Albertsons will leverage a modular store-in-store salad bar concept to deliver convenience and health to the masses. This will be the first time Picadeli is launching in the U.S. market.

“Picadeli has created an innovative, technology-forward solution to address the strong demand for healthy, affordable foods that can be customized quickly,” said Jewel Hunt, Group Vice President of Deli Food Service at Albertsons. “Fresh meal solutions is a category where we are continuing to differentiate our offerings, and by introducing Picadeli, we are giving our customers a great option for healthy meals at an affordable price.”

Picadeli's mission is to make healthy, delicious food accessible to all consumers at a reasonable price point. Covering Albertsons’ banner stores, the concept launched in six Safeway, ACME, and Kings locations across Washington, DC; Maryland; and New Jersey. These award-winning salad bars are in over 2,200 stores across seven countries throughout Europe, a press release noted. The initial sales and feedback from customers in the U.S. has reportedly been incredibly positive.

With sustainability in mind, this salad bar concept is customized per location, with ingredients specifically selected for each market. Its technology helps minimize food waste, reduce labor, lower break-even, and increase profitability. The system’s design consists of hygiene-first materials, technology-enabled shielding hoods, automatic hand sanitizer, and bowl dispensers. The digital management system allows for full traceability, as well as QR-code scanning to ensure products do not stay out longer than allowed.

Picadeli’s retail partners see at least markedly higher sales than traditional salad bars, with improved profitability, the press release noted.

“The lack of convenient, healthy fresh food at an affordable price has created a unique opportunity for grocers to win over consumers who have been left behind by the growth in cheap, less healthy fast food, and expensive fast-casual concepts,” commented Patrik Hellstrand, Chief Executive Officer of Picadeli U.S. “Albertsons is a leader in recognizing the demand for healthy and affordable food by its customers, and we are thrilled to work together to introduce our offering to the U.S. The fast fresh food market is ripe for disruption and innovation, and Picadeli’s proven offering has demonstrated it solves this need for consumers and leading retailers across Europe. We look forward to continuing to deliver on our mission here in the U.S.”

For more on Picadeli and its capabilities, read the press release here. ANUK will keep you in the loop on all things fresh, so don’t go anywhere.

Albertsons Companies Picadeli