COVID-19 has changed nearly every aspect of daily life, and that includes the way Americans shop for groceries. For the last several weeks, the perishables industry has witnessed incredible changes in grocery shopping habits including unprecedented stock up trips that left store shelves empty, huge increases in year over year produce sales and significant shifts toward online grocery shopping. COVID-19 has taken a heavy toll on the American consumer. In addition to consumers’ concerns about their health and safety, many are also dealing with a decrease in their household income due to the closure of restaurants, services and other businesses deemed “non-essential.”

A recent study by Category Partners (CP) revealed that nearly half, 47%, of consumers have expereinced some type of economic loss due to the COVIC-19 pandemic, either job loss or a pay cut for themselves or their significant other. This change in their economic situation has spurred changes in their grocery shopping behavior, resulting in more and more consumers trying to stretch their food dollars further.