1. Kale
Peak quarter: Q3 2018 (1,597 items)
% decline (peak quarter to today):-4.4%
Packed with valuable vitamins, minerals and other nutritional benefits, kale has been classified as a superfood. Its healthfulness and versatility soon made it a star of the salad bar, but it has since branched out into smoothies, stir-fries, soups, flatbreads, grain bowls and even breakfast items. Kale was kind of a gateway supergreen for many consumers, opening the way for operators to menu other power greens, such as bok choy, Swiss chard and tatsoi, an Asian leafy green. Kale is not disappearing from menus, but it’s no longer the only salad green getting called out for its health benefits.