Analyzing Eating Behavior in the US

During the Covid-19 Pandemic

On average, Americans dine out more than four times a week. Adding up to over 18 meals outside the home (and roughly $232 in food costs) every month, it’s safe to say that frequenting eateries is part of the regular routine for millions of people. Or, at least, it was until COVID-19.

The surge of the global health pandemic has impacted virtually every aspect of everyday life, and that includes how we eat. Even months after the pandemic began, many cities and states have struggled with how to reopen restaurants in a safe and health-conscious way. The result? Way more eating in than you may be used to. Fortunately, avoiding restaurants and take out may actually be helping you stay healthier in 2020. 

So what’s on our grocery lists and stocked in our refrigerators during the pandemic, and are we eating better food than before COVID-19? To find out, we utilized data from Mercato to analyze eating habits before and during the pandemic.

Read on as we break down which types of food have seen the biggest sales spikes in America during COVID-19; whether Americans are turning to healthy meals or comfort food; and which cities or states have had the healthiest behavior changes in 2020. 

Grocery Shopping During the Pandemic 

More than any popular diet trend or eating fad, one of the best things you can do for your overall health and wellness is to establish a consistently balanced diet. To get the nutrition your body needs to function, it’s recommended that a majority of your daily calories should come from fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and lean proteins. 

Since January 2020, sales of dairy and egg products have seen the biggest increase during COVID-19, rising 1,685% in July 2020.

Sales of one of the most important ingredients to a healthy diet, fresh fruits and vegetables, increased 1,483% between January 2020 and July 2020 and accounted for 23% of all grocery store sales during those seven months.

Similarly, the sale of condiments (1,145%), health foods (1,112%), and sweets and desserts (1,077%) also increased substantially during COVID-19. More than basic food considerations, the category of “health food” included vitamins, supplements, gluten-free, and vegetarian offerings.

While health foods typically ranked last in terms of overall sales per month, Americans were gravitating to these items with more frequency than sweets, desserts, pastas, breads, and even snack foods during the pandemic. 

Making Healthier Food Decisions

Particularly in a pandemic, when so many of our normal routines have been disrupted, and with little understanding of what “going back to normal” may look like in the future, it’s easy to see the appeal of comforting foods.

While Americans may be coping with lockdown in different ways, research shows retreating to snacks and treats can be a common response to high levels of stress.

That trend can be hard to determine when the sales of grocery products boom due to a pandemic and stockpiling, which can be seen across both comfort food and healthy categories since January of 2020:

Despite the stress many Americans may be experiencing as a result of COVID-19, their shopping carts seemed to have a healthy proportion of fresh fruits and vegetables compared to snacks, prepared foods and sweets.

In March 2020, with many restaurants closed and shelter-in-place orders enacted across the country, Americans were likely cooking their own meals much more often than they used to.

And with many consumers tightening their belts due to the economic consequences of COVID-19, a bigger grocery bill may have also resulted in spending less on snacks and sweets. 

Regional Food Trends During COVID-19

Overall, Americans appear to be opting for healthier food groups during the pandemic, but some cities may be doing a better job curating their pantries than others.

The sale of fresh fruits and vegetables in 2020 relative to other food groups was highest in two California cities, Burbank (45% of grocery orders contained produce) and Los Angeles (41% of orders contained produce).

Even if gravitating toward healthier eating options doesn’t come easy during the pandemic, experts indicate lockdown could be a great opportunity to make long-lasting changes to our diets.

In addition to adjusting their shopping habits at the grocery store, simply opting to eat in rather than going out may naturally help us gravitate toward healthier options at mealtime. 

In contrast, the sale of pasta, bread, snacks, and other sweets was highest in San Diego, California (30%), and Portland, Oregon (28%), followed by Brooklyn (23%) and New York City (21%).

In Indianapolis, Indiana, 64% of all grocery sales were attributed to meat, followed by 55% of grocery sales in Burbank, California.

While meat in general can be a healthy addition to your diet in moderation, too much can result in not enough nutrition from other food groups, dehydration, and long-term health risks. 

Pandemic Cravings

Among individual products purchased, marshmallows experienced one of the biggest increases in sales (9,450%) relative to how many marshmallows were sold in January, followed by stone fruit (6,370%), and semihard cheeses (6,276%).

Here are the individual foods that skyrocketed in sales compared to January 2020: 

Expanding Your Palate at Home

Adjusting to life during lockdown can have its challenges. As the country continues to enter various phases of reopening, it’s become clear that the “new normal” is more than just a buzzword.

For Americans getting used to spending more time at home, there have been major shifts in grocery spending during the pandemic, including an increase in produce purchases, eggs and dairy, and other health foods. 

At Mercato, we’ll help you shop at local grocery stores near you and have your purchase delivered directly to your doorstep. Whether you’re looking for fresh produce, meats and seafood, or condiments – or if you’re in the mood for something precooked – we’ll help you knock out your grocery shopping without ever leaving the house.

By connecting you to the best artisans, purveyors, and merchants in your community, you’ll have access to the best food available quickly and more conveniently than ever before. Visit us online at Mercato.com today to learn more. 

Methodology and Limitations

We explored Mercato online orders from grocery stores around the country from January 2020 to August 2020,  in order to understand consumer trends before and during the COVID-19 outbreak. We analyzed the units of items sold as well as revenue by product category in order to explore which products saw the biggest relative spike in sales due to the pandemic.

For city-level analysis, we only included cities that sold 80,000 units or more since January in order to analyze product categories purchased. Average prices per product were analyzed nationally. Items that could not be grouped into general food categories were not analyzed. 

Fair Use Statement

Want to help your readers put something healthy on the table tonight? Share the results of this study for any noncommercial use with the inclusion of a link back to this page so they have access to our full findings.