Over 40% Of People Would Never Buy This Prepared Food At The Grocery Store

The prepared food section of the grocery store has long been an invaluable resource for time-strapped shoppers looking to feed themselves or their families in a pinch. And while there are plenty of popular prepared grocery items, from buckets of fried chicken to fresh salads, not all prepared foods are created equal.

To get to the bottom of which prepared grocery store staples are the most popular — and which ones most consumers avoid altogether — Tasting Table polled a group of time-saving shoppers, asking, "Which of these prepared foods would you never buy from a grocery store?" 

Respondents were given the choice between five of the most common pre-made dishes. And coming in last in the poll (meaning the majority of respondents enjoy this prepared food) was a popular cooked protein: rotisserie chicken. This roasted poultry, which can be served on its own or used to make chicken tacos or chicken caesar salads, received just 9.90% of the total votes.

Falling in the middle of the pack were meal kits (which received 13.20% of the vote) and pre-cut vegetables (with 14.56% of the vote). Despite the fact that the popularity of meal kits (by companies like HelloFresh, Purple Carrot, and Marley Spoon) has decreased post-pandemic, the pre-assembled kits still performed well in the poll.

Coming in the second spot, with 21.94% of the total vote, was a major staple of the prepared food section: cream-based salads, a category that includes potato salad, macaroni salad, tuna salad, and more. Even in the midst of peak barbecue season, nearly a quarter of respondents said that they would never buy their creamy side dishes pre-made at the store, likely opting to make homemade potato salad or egg salad instead.

Taking the top spot with a whopping 40.39% of the total vote was a grocery store food that proved to be unpopular with shoppers: sushi. Although the refrigerated section of the prepared food aisle is a reliable source for inexpensive California rolls and various other forms of sushi, the poll results indicate that shoppers would rather shell out for higher quality rolls than risk it with the store-made variety.