ROSEMONT, IL - What demands are currently impacting foodservice operators? As consumers’ lifestyles and dietary habits change, US Foods is helping its partners up their appeal with its Serve You lineup of offerings, spotlighted in the company’s recent Spring 2024 Scoop™ release.

“Given evolving dietary and lifestyle preferences, it’s more important than ever for operators to appeal to a variety of diner desires, but the challenge is that there is no one-size-fits-all solution,” said Stacey Kinkaid, Vice President of Product Development and Innovation for US Foods. “With Spring Scoop, we’ve delivered a variety of on-trend, high-quality products that can meet specific preferences, while also appealing to all diners regardless of their dietary or lifestyle choices. Most importantly, all products help save operators back-of-house labor and are highly versatile without sacrificing flavor.”

The “Get to Know Serve You” issue highlights products under the company’s newly branded “Serve You” portfolio, which features more than 1,700 US Foods Exclusive Brands products that offer plant-forward, gluten-free certified, or clean ingredient labels with no ingredients on the US Foods Unpronounceables List®, a press release explained.

Serve You products are developed with operator needs in mind and offer menu versatility and labor savings of between 30-90 minutes per case as compared to making them from scratch. The products are crafted to appeal to diners who want more personalization given their dietary and lifestyle preferences.

One key trend made clear by the Spring 2024 Scoop is the prominence of plant-forward products, as US Foods noted that plant-forward products on the menu are expected to grow by more than 517 percent over the next four years as more vegan, vegetarian, and flexitarian diners seek expanded dining options.

The distributor is also catering to gluten-free certified demands, as nearly 30 percent of consumers are limiting or avoiding gluten, making it critical for foodservice operators to offer a variety of flavorful gluten-free options.

Last but not least, the Serve You lineup focuses on clean ingredient labels. Seventy-eight percent of consumers find clean-label products appealing, according to the release, and the company’s Unpronounceables List initiative offers products with ingredient profiles that do not contain certain ingredients, such as artificial flavors and artificial colors, hydrogenated oils, high-fructose corn syrup, or added MSG.

To view the full Spring Scoop, click here.

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