The pandemic moved many meal occasions to the home, and retail inflation has kept many of them there.

It is the perfect storm for the lunchtime consumption of meat and poultry.

A continued emphasis around fresh foods at lunchtime and throughout the day is a big reason why salads, which could be made with or without meat, are the No. 1 growing item at lunchtime.

It’s estimated that Americans eat 300 million sandwiches a day, or roughly one per person, but are they popular enough to keep proteins top of mind for consumers at lunchtime?

Chipotle’s organic tofu Sofritas, Panera Bread’s Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich and Burger King’s BK Veggie burger are all popular and all lacking one thing: meat, which isn’t an accident.