July 12, 2022

Dining halls and food courts at colleges and universities across the U.S. are returning to normal operations and it has led to improved case unit shipments from broadline foodservice distributors, according to the NPD Group.

For the past two years, universities across the nation have adjusted operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic but with the new school year approaching, schools are moving towards normalcy and that will mean more students dining on campuses.

The jump in case unit shipments increased by 47% in the 12 months ending May 2022, compared to the previous year when shipments were down by 33%, per the NPD Group. Plus, broadline foodservice dollar shipments to colleges and universities rose by 72% versus last year when dollars shipped declined by 35%.

“After a couple of challenging years, it’s good to see foodservice operations on campuses coming back in full swing,” said Tim Fires, president of NPD’s SupplyTrack. “Campus foodservice directors work hard to understand the latest food trends that appeal to college and university students and rely on foodservice manufacturers to help them in their effort.”

A hot item for colleges of late is plant-based proteins, per NPD’s SupplyTrack, which tracks shipments and revenue from broadline foodservice distributors to commercial and non-commercial foodservice outlets.

NPD said the total case shipments of plant-based proteins from broadline foodservice distributors to colleges and universities increased by 82% in the 12 months ending May 2022, compared to a year ago, an increase of 29% from two years ago.

Multiple plant-based protein options are growing in popularity at colleges including plant-based chicken, beef, pork and shrimp. Plant-based chicken case shipments jumped by 142%, year over year, rising 72% compared to two years ago. Case shipments of plant-based beef grew by 111% over last year and increased by 66% versus two years ago.

The top item for foodservice operators at schools is pizza. Case shipments of finished pizza increased by 115% in the reported period compared to last year, NPD shared. Cheese/plain pizza was the most popular item and traditional crust was the leader over deep-dish, thick or thin, or flatbread.

Photo Credit: DeawSS / Shutterstock.com

Ryan Doyle
Urner Barry
1-732-240-5330
rdoyle@urnerbarry.com