Report: Grocery Shelves Returning to Normal
Consumers are having an easier time finding what they want in grocery stores, but the pandemic is continuing to disrupt consumption patterns, according to a report from FMI, the Food Industry Association.
According to FMI’s most recent survey, by mid-July, 27% of respondents perceived the grocery stores they visit to be fully stocked, compared with 13% of those asked in March. Conversely, respondents saying that the items they wanted were unavailable fell from 46% in March to 18% in July.
The closure of restaurants and shelter-in-place orders have led to 40% of respondents saying they’re cooking more at home, and most of those saying they plan to keep doing so after the pandemic is over.
Other highlights from the report:
- 21% reported concerns about not being able to afford food.
- 58% thought that restrictions related to the pandemic are being lifted too quickly, while 18% said they weren’t being lifted quickly enough.
- 20% said in the first weeks of the pandemic that they tried online grocery shopping for the first time, and the increase has persisted.