newswire: 7/7/2020
● According to a new study, most Americans are cooking more during the pandemic—but we’re also eating more snacks. Overall, the data show that we’ve stepped up all kinds of food-related behaviors in recent weeks, including cooking, snacking, washing produce, and just thinking about food. (International Food Information Council)
◦ NH: For the last 15 years, the International Food Informational Council (IFIC) has conducted an annual survey on US food habits. This year’s survey was taken between April 8-16, right in the middle of lockdown.
◦ On the good news front, 60% of Americans say they are cooking more than before the pandemic. A significantly lower share, just under 20%, says they are ordering more takeout or eating more frozen foods. On the bad news front, 35% say they are snacking more, while only 15% say they are eating less.
◦ Since March, I have pointed out the pandemic lockdown's plus-sides: lower crime rates, fewer traffic deaths, and more time with family. Similarly, the resurgence of home cooking, due to restaurant closures, has been a significant health benefit to America. Home cooking almost always contains less sugar, carbohydrates, and fats than restaurant dishes. While in recent years restaurant dining has surpassed home cooking, the pandemic has finally reversed the trend at the benefit of Americans' health. See “Fatal Auto Accidents Are Declining In Most States” and “Crime Rates Drop During Pandemic.”
◦ But while Americans may be cooking and eating healthier meals, they are also snacking more. Since the pandemic, sales of junk food have soared. Since March, Nutter Butter cookies and Fig Newtons have seen a 40% increase in first-time buyers. These are the snacks that make up the middle aisle of the grocery store, exactly what your doctor doesn’t want you to eat. Leave it to Americans to do more of everything, eat more good food and more bad food, to have all their bases covered.
◦ If you want to learn more about eating habits during the pandemic, take a listen to my webcast I did with Howard Penny, head of Hedgeye’s restaurant sector. We discuss everything from home cooking to take-out to alcohol sales. See “COVID-19 VS The Restaurant Industry.”
