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TikTok healthy eating trend inspires Tesco’s new salad bar concept

UK retailer Tesco points to a huge spike in TikTok posts about salad as the inspiration behind the launch of a brand new salad bar concept.

During Covid-19, many grocery retailers were forced to shut down salad bars over concerns for their potential to serve as a means of spreading the virus.

Following the pandemic, many retailers chose not to reopen salad bars because the shift towards working from home spelled declining demand and a struggle to make them profitable, leading to increased amounts of food waste.

Tapping into the trend for healthier eating

However, as consumers continue to shun ultra-processed foods in search of healthier options, foods like salads and fresh fruits are very much back in the spotlight, prompting Tesco to develop its new salad bar concept around a younger generation of consumers who are adopting healthier eating habits.

“More exciting salads appear to be a foodie focus now, with increasingly imaginative creations with a varied range of inclusions appearing on TikTok and Instagram,” said Tesco fresh produce manager Emily Hampson, concerning the launch of the new concept at the end of May.

“Through our Salad Creations Bay, we want to inspire customers to make their own best ever salads at home.”

The TikTok salad trend reflects changing habits in younger consumers

Tesco points to huge interest in new and more adventurous salad recipes, which are being shared on TikTok and are going viral due to their huge popularity. Underscoring this, the #salad has garnered over 700,000 posts, while the biggest health-themed viral post of 2023 was a raw carrot salad recipe posted by @georginaburgess_. To date, TikTok posts attributed to healthy food have clocked up almost 330 million views.

The TikTok salad trend started by increasing interest in simple chopped salads, with many users sharing creative recipes designed to make salads more interesting while aiming to remain healthy by touching on topics such as gut health, the mediterranean diet and raw foods.

A recent survey by MyFitnessPal about health and nutrition found that 87% of Millennial and Gen Z TikTok users have turned to the platform for advice on this area, with 57% stating that they were influenced by or frequently adopted the trends they see.

The salad creation bay is rolled out across Tesco UK locations

Tesco’s Salad Creation Bay concept is being rolled out in the fresh produce aisles in Tesco supermarkets across the UK. The bay will be divided into three sections that will include a base consisting of basic salad produce like lettuce, builder ingredients like avocado, and topper ingredients that include a choice of salad dressings and salsas.

To create added appeal the retailer has developed a new series of toppers to capture the imagination of the type of younger consumers that are on board with the TikTok salad trend. The toppers include Zingy Corn Salsa; Chopped Maple Orange and Wholegrain Mustard Dressing; Caesar Dressing; Red Pepper Dressing and Chopped Avocado and Cucumber Dressing.

Tesco’s salad bar builds on several initiatives launched in the past few years that have been designed to help make healthier food choices easier for its customers. In May 2022 it unveiled its Better Baskets Campaign, aimed at swaying shoppers towards making healthier food and drink choices.

The campaign earmarked Better Baskets zones across its stores, signposting products such as low and non-alcoholic beverages, snacks and treats under 100 calories, plant-based food, and meal options and foods that are high in fibre.