Being forced to stay home during the pandemic has changed the way Americans are eating. Before this crisis, Americans would eat out nearly 6 times per week and even when we wouldn’t eat out, we spent an average of $4,400 a year on groceries – 7% of all spending each year. Depending on the city, this can reach an astounding $516 a month on groceries alone. But when we are pushed to remain home, what we buy is drastically changed. Drug stores in some major cities have seen massive sales growth – San Francisco drug stores reportedly have over 500% in sales growth. Many people are purchasing items to create a ‘pandemic pantry’ – mostly consisting of canned foods, hand sanitizer, toilet paper, and bottled water. Across the U.S. a few products’ sales are up by hundreds of percent and others a noticeable amount. Foods like frozen fruit, dried beans, and oatmilk are all selling more than usual as well as goods like medical masks, bath and shower wipes, and water also have higher sales.

In response, many retailers are changing their hours and policies to ensure the safety of their customers. Amazon announced that they are prioritizing shipping and delivering household staples and medical supplies. They also announced that they are hiring 100,000 new workers to help bear the load and raising their pay from $15 to $17. Some national retail chains stated that they would be adding senior-only hours, usually in the morning, and that they would increase overnight cleaning in order to protect customers. Food delivery services, such as Uber Eats, Postmates, and GrubHub are waiving delivery fees and developing a new plan of action to create no-contact deliveries.

Find out ways to protect yourself from the coronavirus and worthwhile purchases to keep you up to date with healthy eating practices during this epidemic here: