Entrees with one food sell better than those containing two foods, according to ACNielsen. Total one-food entrees increased 14.8% in dollar sales for the year ended Sept. 4, compared with a drop of 0.6% for two-food entrees.
ared with Italian (up 6.5%), meat (up 7.6%), Mexican (up 7.9%), poultry (up 14%) and seafood (up 1.4%).
Information Resources, Inc., Chicago, pegs the total frozen-entree category at $4.2 billion as of July 18, 1999, a gain of 12% over the prior year, and says unit sales grew by 4.8%. Leading brands, in order of dollar sales, were Stouffer's, Healthy Choice, Marie Callender's (which grew 23%), Stouffer's Lean Cuisine (although there are several segments within that), Weight Watchers Smart Ones (which grew 57%), Swanson, Swanson Hungryman, Banquet, Stouffer's Homestyle (a whopping 332.7% increase) and Stouffer's Lean Cuisine Cafe Classics.