The Way We Shop Now

 The pandemic has certainly changed the way we live.It's definitely affected how we shop and how we eat.We relearned how to bake and yearned for a night out with friends. Will this be the new normal after we return to normal? It could be.

Regular contributor Kim Severson wrote about this phenomena in today's New York Times Food section. A lot of the data is eye opening but predictable.There were seven ways food shopping and our eating habits have  changed. We did fewer trips but had more detailed lists. Before Covid 19 , a mere 19 percent of Americans only shopped for food more than three times a week, That number dropped to ten percent by June.Many stocked up, buying double the amount of what they would normally buy. Home chefs also became better planners, knowing what to make for a whole month and shopping for those four weeks.Online food subscriptions went up.Online food sales went from 1.2 billion to 7.2 billion from March to June. Farmers jumped on this bandwagon too, selling to customers and building a good solid client base via the internet. Curbside pickup also increased. Once people realized the ease of this and selecting groceries through apps , they knew they could never go back to visiting stores themselves. Stores were also redrawn. There are now one way aisles and some Walmart have a more open check out areas.

Our eating habits changed as well. Oranges became the snack of the moment, thanks to them keeping so long. In May the fruit has a 73 per cent jump in sales. However there aren't many fruit or other food choices now. Options are shrinking. People are buying staples not frill snacks and treats and stores are noticing. There's also more generic buying  with more home chefs opting for store brands which are usually tastier and cheaper, Buying dried beans have also been popular since, they're versatile and full of protein. Another interesting fact is that freezer food is also popular. Sales initially jumped by a whopping 94 percent in March.Frozen fruit and veggies were an attractive alternative to fresh produce and many home chefs were buying them regularly. Yet some home chefs also want fresh local produce. This also includes eggs and milk from local dairies along with fresh beef. Grocers are also teaming up with chefs to sell meal kits that feature ingredients from local farms. It's part of a growing awareness of climate change and the impact of transporting foodstuffs on the environment.

Our eating and shopping habits will be changing as this pandemic continues. will they ever go back to normal once we go back to normal? Maybe. but maybe not. There may be new trends emerging as we come out of this.