United States consumers have purchased large amounts of food products from grocery retail outlets throughout the coronavirus pandemic. With restaurants limited to carryout and/or delivery options, more consumers are preparing food at home, and will most likely continue to do so well into the future.
Citizens typically consume foods prepared away from home. Rick Stein, president of the Food Marketing Institute, speaks to shifts in eating behaviors/habits, prompted by COVID-19.
“Our prediction is (that) when we come out of this pandemic, the bar will be raised. (There will be) this idea that we will never be as low as we once were,” Stein said. “More people will be eating at home because they have learned how to cook and will find it more enjoyable.”
Consumers spent 18-billion-dollars at supermarkets during the first four weeks of the outbreak, according to Stein.
“The meat department, along with other areas of the store, were leading the charge. I think that’s a good thing. That’s telling us Americans want to eat their protein,” Stein said. “At the same time, we saw food service shutting down. Consumers were having to buy, and they were seeing empty shelves. Nothing creates hoarding like seeing empty shelves.”
The Food Marketing Institute also reports consumers purchasing freezers, or creating freezer space to store new meat products. The so-called “freezer pantries” have reached an all-time high, according to Stein.
