2026 Deli and Bakery Best Practices – According to Progressive Grocer

If you haven’t read the May 2026 Progressive Grocer magazine, here are a few highlights for deli and bakery best practices, and where that intersects with packaging trends.

Grocery trends are continuing to change and evolve, and deli and bakery are no exception. In fact, according to 210 Analytics in the May 2026 edition of Progressive Grocer, the grab-and-go sections of deli and bakery products had year-over-year growth, further highlighted by declining deli meat and breakfast bakery items. This increasing performance comes at a time when other products and categories are experiencing a decline both in volume and profit margin, and retailers are looking for new ways to entice customers with products.

Furthermore, retailers are noticing an interesting gap; both premium and low-cost grab-and-go offerings are experiencing an uptick in sales and volume, meaning consumers are gravitating towards either higher-end specialty products or are selecting based on lowest price. Many value line products in between are seeing relatively sharp declines in sales. This divide presents an interesting question for grocery retailers, and performance may be driven by the market or consumer group your retail stores live in.

In addition, both hot and cold grab-and-go options are appealing to consumers, as well as ready-to-heat premade meals. These market trends were confirmed by Josh Croson, the Director of Deli and Bakery at Coborn’s, who told Progressive Grocer that the biggest opportunities for market growth were in meal solutions, high-protein snacking, and a balance of specialty and comfort-driven foods.

This boils down to consumers trending towards easy, premade food items rather than standalone ingredients. Increased profit margins on these items for retailers or grocers are also a strong draw to stock these premade meal kits or snack options.

So what does this mean for grocers and retailers looking to revamp their offerings for a stronger selection and performance? It means investing in the grab-and-go market may be the right choice for aligning with consumer trends. Having an easily accessible grab-and-go section, small format snacking options, and an assortment or variety of premium products can make your grocery section stand out.

Getting the right infrastructure in place to reinvigorate or start your grocery store’s prepackaged meals, grab-and-go containers, or snack packaged solutions can be easy with stock food packaging products. From vented containers for hot or ready to warm foods, individual wrap, sandwich, or hoagie trays, cold deli containers for sides, and more, our product catalog can help you merchandise new single-serve products quickly, effectively, and responsibly with our recyclable materials.

For more resources or information, visit the Placonomics blog; for additional details on this article’s sources, visit Progressive Grocer.

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