When you think of convenience store food, you don't necessarily think of having a dietitian helping with the recipes.
But that's exactly what Erica Flint does for La Crosse, Wis.-based Kwik Trip.
A registered dietitian, Flint is one of the team members helping lead the convenience store chain's efforts to capitalize on the trend in the retail food business toward fresh, minimally processed products.
The chain has a commissary, a bakery and a dairy and beverage plant. It offers fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, salads and sandwiches among other things in its more than 400 stores.
"Most convenience stores, people don't anticipate to walk in and find produce," Flint said. "They don't anticipate finding those fresher options."
The fresh trend is occurring across the hypercompetitive retail food industry.
"The result is that convenience stores have continued to evolve from gas stations that happen to sell food to food retailers that happen to sell gas," according to the National Association of Convenience Stores, a Virginia-based trade association.
"Convenience stores are stepping up their food service programs to keep up with competition from quick-service and fast-casual restaurants, as well as grocery store prepared meals," the association said.
The fresh product offerings have led to Kwik Trip stores' being de facto grocery stores for some of the smaller communities the company serves, Flint said.
"People can create an entire meal by stopping in one of our stores."
Flint said she can't say what other fresh food products might be in development at Kwik Trip.
"We're always working on something new," Flint said. "It has to be convenient. It has to be fresh."
