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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – The way we buy groceries has changed and even after we contain Covid-19, shoppers may never go back to traditional shopping behaviors. Panic buying, hoarding, buying unusual ingredients, and shopping trips that contain three times what is normally bought are all behaviors that stores are trying to deal with. Grocery chains are adapting on the fly to what their shoppers want but this new normal is making it harder to predict inventory.
Whether you buy online, select a pick-up only option, or actually shop, most are more thoughtful about what they select today. There is no more running into the supermarket on the way home from work to pick up a few items to make dinner. Most people shop only once a week or once every other week. This requires some planning. How much bread will you need for a family of four? What about orange juice? Will milk stay fresh that long? These are questions many shoppers are asking, sometimes for the first time. Younger shoppers may never have planned a shopping trip or made a shopping list. They may not have any idea what and how much they need for the next two weeks.
Not knowing what you need or being worried that the store won’t have enough of what you want can lead to overbuying. If everyone buys more than they need, stocks are depleted quicker than stores estimated. Empty shelves lead to worries of food shortages, and the cycle of overbuying and hoarding is perpetuated. The US food supply is safe and there is more than enough in the supply chain to feed everyone but sadly that is not reported in the news often enough. Overbuying and hoarding are not necessary but this behavior has led to loading up the pantry and may be a hard habit to break. Fears of an economic depression may continue to encourage shoppers to stay well-stocked on low-cost and long-lasting ingredients like pasta.
Traffic on the internet for recipes has spiked 138% year over year and continues to grow as the coronavirus pandemic continues. Many consumers lack kitchen skills and when ordering-in or eating out are no longer a regular option, cooking has to fill the void. Others have bought unfamiliar ingredients, like the pound of dried beans you have no idea how to use, and they need help making a meal from these items. From scratch cooking and baking is happening at much higher rates than seen in the recent past.
We are buying fewer avocadoes, bacon, cream cheese, bell peppers, spinach and chicken breasts but some old standbys have jumped precipitously. Dried fruits and raisins, cream of mushroom soup, pancake mix, and active dry yeast have seen sales skyrocket. Shoppers are unsure how long they will be cooped up at home, so they want their pantry stocked with everything they believe they need. Few may have known how to bake yeast bread before the pandemic but if the amount of yeast that has been sold is any indicator, there will be a whole new army of bread bakers out there soon.
Most shoppers now report they have enough food at home to last two weeks and they are becoming more inventive about selecting items. Instead of buying ready-to-use tomato sauce they may purchase canned tomatoes that can be turned into marinara sauce or become the basis for chili. Tips and tricks on how to extend the shelf life of foods and ways to freeze and reuse leftovers are becoming increasingly popular to help stretch out the time between shopping trips.
Supermarkets are watching these trends carefully because they know this new normal will extend into post-Covid-19 shopping habits. Shoppers will have picked up new cooking skills they didn’t have before which may change inventory needs for some ingredients. Stock up deals will resonate with shoppers used to a full pantry and digital grocery shopping will become far more commonplace.
© NRH Nutrition Consultants, Inc.
Jo-Ann Heslin, MA, RD, CDN is a registered dietitian and the author of 30 books.
Available as eBooks from iTunes and Kindle/Amazon:
Diabetes Counter – the most up-to-date information on managing diabetes
Calorie Counter – a weight loss guide that won’t let you down
Protein Counter – put the latest protein recommendations to work for you
Healthy Wholefoods Counter – planet-friendly eating made easy
Complete Food Counter – food counts and nutrition information at your fingertips
Fat and Cholesterol Counter – newest approach to heart-healthy eating
Available in print from Gallery Books:
Most Complete Food Counter, 3rd Ed.
For more information on Jo-Ann and her books, go to: www.TheNutritionExperts.com or on twitter: #JoAnnHeslinRD.