Humble hard-boiled egg becomes healthy on-the-go hit for UK shoppers
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As Tesco reports high sales of its ‘egg protein pot’ other retailers also reveal unlikely success of repackaged snack. It was news to make even the most hard-boiled crisp manufacturer shudder: when Tesco released a list of the most-bought meal deal items for 2024, McCoy’s flame grilled steak grab bags had fallen off their perch as its shoppers’ favourite snack.
Instead, nestled between the chicken club sandwich as a main and a bottle of Coca-Cola to drink, was an “egg protein pot”. Retailing at £1.30 if bought as a single item outside the meal deal, the pot is exactly what it sounds like: a plastic tub containing two cooked and peeled eggs. But despite its uninspiring appearance, demand has doubled since 2020 and last year Tesco sold 10m of them.
And it’s a similar story elsewhere. Waitrose said sales of its version, which includes free range eggs on a bed of raw spinach, were up by 41% last year. The pot is also part of its meal deal, or £1.80 if bought separately. At Pret a Manger, which typically charges £2.50, they sell about a million a year.
The sandwich chain could claim to have been the first to literally repackage the humble egg as an on-the-go snack, as it put it on the menu a decade ago. Anna Tebbs, UK head of food at Pret, said the company had taken inspiration from trends in the US.
