Brand new home-cooked consumer survey data

People are still hoarding toilet paper, believe it or not. But what are people doing when it comes to buying food? You knew more people were grocery shopping instead of getting takeout or going out to eat, but did you know that about $700 Billion may be moving from ‘food away from home’ to ‘food at home’? How are those dollars being spent? NEXT and our friends at Suzy joined forces to run a 1,000 person study in April that sought to uncover what consumers are doing differently now compared to before COVID-19 turned (some of) us into preppers/hoarders when it comes to buying food.

Five takeaways from the survey show consumers are:

1. Buying what they can. 56% of consumers said they are now (within the past two weeks) buying what is available, with less worry about product or brand preferences.
2. More concerned for the planet. 14% said they are more likely to buy better-for-the-planet products than they were before.
3. Eating homestyle. 56% are cooking more meals from scratch, and 43-45% are eating more fresh fruits and vegetables than before.
4. Still eating for health. Even with an uncertain economy, consumers said they are prioritizing health over both convenience and price.
5. Snacking more. 58% of consumers said they’ve been snacking more than they usually would, and 40% are purchasing unhealthy snacks. That said, we’ll admit we’re snacking more too (brushes chip crumbs off shirt).

For more results from this joint study, tune into the webinar, now available on-demand: The Future of Grocery Shopping in Uncertain Times.

Plus, give this week’s Industry Health Monitor article a read: Coronavirus crisis breeds natural products industry opportunity and responsibility. And our NEXT Trends 2020series is still going strong, showcasing great brand examples of the 50 trends NEXT is monitoring in the marketplace. New brands and trends are being added daily (until we cover all 50 trends), so check back often!