To close out the year, the grocery retail company Kroger recently released a list of the top 10 trending foods of 2020. Kroger compiled the list based on year-over-year sales growth data from the company’s 2700+ stores spanning the country.
While there might not be a supermarket called Kroger where you live, the retail company owns about two dozen supermarket brands across the country, making it the largest supermarket company in America, according to Food and Wine.
In addition to its own eponymous chain, Kroger owns Smith’s, Ralphs, Dillons, Mariano’s, Baker’s, Fry’s supermarkets and more. If your food store has a person’s name in its title, odds are it belongs to Kroger.
According to Kroger’s chief merchant, Stuart Aitken, the top 10 trending list tells a story of how American consumer habits changed as we adjusted to a more home-centered way of life. In a recent press release, he stated (via Food and Wine):
“The most-popular foods and beverages of 2020 underscore how our customers not only adapted to the challenges of this unique year but embraced cooking and eating at home as part of their new routine.”
In order, here are the ten food products that saw the largest sales growth from 2019 to 2020:
- Zero-calorie soft drinks
- Four-cheese blend shredded cheese
- Flavored potato chips
- Sauvignon blanc wine
- Heavy whipping cream
- Fresh burger patties
- Artisan bread and buns
- Bulk coffee pods
- Variety bags of chocolate
- Black forest ham
Aitken believes the top products on the list were purchased as a source of comfort for consumers. He said:
“As many of our customers transitioned to working from home and virtual schoolrooms this year, coffee, fresh deli meat and artisan bread emerged as go-to staples for elevated breakfast and lunch routines, while zero-calorie soft drinks, unique potato chip flavors, wine and chocolate stood out as comfort-food favorites.”