The humble pickled onion is experiencing a revival, with sales increasing significantly over the past year. Consumer data firm Worldpanel by Numerator reports that around 8.5 million UK households purchased pickled onions in the last year, showing strong momentum in recent months.
In the 12 weeks leading up to early August, the value of pickled onion sales saw a 12% rise compared to the previous year. This growth outpaced the 4% increase seen across total grocery sales, driven by approximately 300,000 more households buying them and over 550,000 additional shopping trips for the product.
The trend extends beyond pickled onions, with pickles in general moving from their traditional role as a side dish to becoming a flavour and ingredient in their own right. This shift is reflected in new product developments, including London's first major pickling and fermentation festival, the Big Brine, launching this weekend.
Ocado data indicates a 30% year-on-year increase in the pickles, gherkins, and olives category, while fresh pickled and fermented products have grown by 16%. New formats are also emerging, such as the UK's first pickle sparkling water, which became Planet Organic's bestselling soft drink in its first week.