Consumers, retailers, and industry groups are racing to prepare for the coronavirus outbreak as it spreads across the U.S., reports CNBC. Sales of items like hand sanitizer, face masks, and cases of bottled water have been increasing, as well as shelf-stable grocery products. According to Nielsen, sales of fruit snacks were up 13 percent, dried beans were up 10 percent, and pretzels were up 9 percent in the week the ended February 22. Sales of energy drinks, pet medicine, vitamin supplements, and first-aid kids were also up.
Food retailer trade group FMI published a 16-page guide to help retailers prepare for potential changes to shopping habits. “We have to try to understand what consumers are thinking before they think of it,” says Doug Baker, vice president of industry relations at FMI. “In an event like this, you have to quickly adapt to whatever consumer demand is. And in a moment of crisis, you have some idea of the demand that may peak, but you don’t know the magnitude to which they’ll peak and the geographies where they’ll peak.”
Grocery delivery companies Instacart and FreshDirect have reported a surge in business, with a high demand for products like bottled water, seafood, fresh chicken, and household cleaning products. Full Story
Related: Coronavirus Outbreak Impacts Food Industry; Global Food Safety Initiative Relaunches Case Study Booklet.
from Specialty Food News https://ift.tt/3cF8Ldw
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