Reser’s adds high-protein deli salads as refrigerated lineup expands

Reser’s Fine Foods is betting that the easiest way to chase protein demand is to leave the deli case exactly where it is and change what is inside it. The company said June 16 that it is expanding across three refrigerated categories, led by new high-protein American Classics Deli Salads in chicken, tuna and egg. The launch pushes a familiar supermarket staple into the protein conversation without asking shoppers to abandon the quick, ready-to-eat format they already buy.

The salads are designed to do more than carry a nutrition claim. Reser’s said the new line delivers up to 25% more protein than existing Reser’s varieties and up to 60% fewer calories, using a blended cottage cheese base to build a clearer health story for deli shoppers. In a category where consumers often reach for lunch, a side dish or a grab-and-go dinner component, that gives the brand a way to compete on satiety as well as convenience.

Megan Torres, Reser’s brand strategy manager, said the company is seeing strong demand for solutions that deliver convenience and value without sacrificing quality or flavor. That framing matches the broader launch, which also includes refrigerated chowders and prepared pasta entrées. Reser’s said the chowders are priced to encourage repeat purchases, while the entrées are meant to be easy to merchandise in the deli and built to drive purchase frequency.

The protein salads first surfaced at the 2026 International Dairy Deli Bakery Association show before the broader launch announcement. Reser’s also described itself as the number one brand in packaged protein salads and “America’s Favorite Deli Salad Brand,” signaling that the company sees the new line as an extension of an established protein business rather than a one-off experiment.

The expansion fits a larger shift in refrigerated prepared foods. Protein is no longer confined to bars, shakes and sports nutrition shelves; it is becoming part of the merchandising language for deli and center-store items that also need to deliver value, taste and meal utility. Reser’s has been in business for more than 75 years, and its brand page still traces the company back to Grandma Mildred’s potato salad in a rural farmhouse kitchen. The company now sells deli salads alongside rotisserie chicken salad, tuna salad, egg salad, macaroni salad and potato salad, a lineup that shows how legacy comfort foods are being reformulated for the current protein market.

Food Business News previously reported that Reser’s operates 14 facilities in the United States and Mexico and employs more than 4,500 people. That scale helps explain the ambition behind the launch: this is not just a new salad, but another move in the wider race to turn familiar refrigerated foods into higher-protein everyday buys.