Trends

U.S. retail sales of plant-based foods are booming. From 2017 to 2019, total plant-based food sales have increased 31%, and overall unit sales are up 8.5 percent compared to total U.S. food sales.

Food allergy shoppers may be experiencing additional stress during this time. As a retail dietitian, there are many ways you can stay connected with shoppers to provide support, alleviate concerns and stress.

Every major decision I have made in my life got hammered out around the family dinner table.  The cast of characters evolved as I moved from my family of origin to a family of friends, then to my own family, and certainly the issues I was deliberating at these different stages changed, but the constant has been the family dinner table.  It has provided me the safe context in which I could probe all the implications of my choices from every angle; emotional, financial, psychological and in some cases geographical.   I am convinced that the family meal is the place where love and support find their most fertile ground to take root and grow.

The COVID-19 pandemic has certainly affected consumers’ mindset when it comes to foods and beverages and according to recent IRI research, some changes could have a long- lasting impact. Their survey, focused on fresh foods, reported that 59% of shoppers are now preparing 91-100% of all meals at home and 18% said they plan to buy more fresh foods. Also, 61% of shoppers believe the crisis will last 2-4 more months and many people plan on continuing home meal preparation after the crisis has ended.1 Here are some additional survey findings and the opportunities they represent for retail dietitians:

The coronavirus pandemic has put health and wellness top of mind for many consumers and this is playing out not only in what foods are being purchased but also with soaring supplement sales. In particular, the sales for ingredients like vitamin C, vitamin D, zinc and elderberry are skyrocketing.

Grocery shopping during the COVID-19 crisis has been a challenge for many customers, but these uncertain times can be really tough for families living with food allergies. Shoppers, who must deal with a restricted diet, may be in need of some extra help and guidance right now. Here are some ways your store(s) can provide support:

The COVID-19 pandemic has many consumers thinking about the relationship between nutrition and their immune system as media outlets and social posts offer details on various supplements and foods to support health during this crisis.

Weeks into the COVID-19 pandemic, health professionals are scratching their heads about the continued empty toilet paper shelves. Skyrocketing sales of disposal gloves and disinfectants make sense, of course, but paper products are another story.

The commodity organization, Colorado Corn, recently created a communication strategy to tell their sustainable story to the public. Their messages will help consumers understand some “a-maizing” sustainability facts about corn.

It may be hard to imagine that before 1970, a factory could spew black clouds of toxic smoke into the air or dump tons of toxic waste into a nearby stream, and that was perfectly legal. They could not be taken to court to stop it. How was that possible? Because there was no EPA, no Clean Air Act, no Clean Water Act. There were no legal or regulatory mechanisms to protect our environment.