The 25 Supermarket Products Americans Buy the Most
Sugary soda sales may be losing their fizz, but carbonated drinks still own the top spot on Americans’ supermarket shopping list. Dollar sales were relatively flat for the 12 months ending June 14, 2015, dropping by 0.37 percent. To combat the slide, manufacturers are experimenting with new, healthier carbonated drinks made with natural sweeteners.
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Americans may have gone a bit sour on skim and low-fat milk, which saw sales fall 4.5 percent over 12 months. Sales of milk fell 0.8 percent overall, following an increase in the year before. Whole milk sales rose 3.7 percent, and though milk alternatives remain a limited percentage of category sales, they still made impressive gains — almond milk was up 19.4 percent and coconut milk was up 7.8 percent.
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Even major breweries have been experimenting with craft beers to appeal to consumers looking for something different. Brewers have also begun developing fruity flavors to attract customers who dislike the traditionally strong and sometimes bitter taste of beer. One of the most successful new beer brands of 2014 was Bud Light Lime Straw-Ber-Rita, and Redd’s Apple Ale also had a strong showing. These new tactics have helped, with beer, ale and alcoholic cider sales increasing 3.5 percent over the past year.
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More Americans have taken to nibbling between meals, and that’s sent sales of salty snacks up by 2.6 percent since last year. Ready-to-eat popcorn/caramel corn is one of the more popular snacks, with sales up an impressive 24.9 percent. The popcorn pop could be due to the fact that consumers are becoming more health-conscious — popcorn is a whole grain with antioxidants and fiber.
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As more people go gluten-free, both for health reasons and to lose weight, the bread and rolls biz is feeling a bit of a blow. Sales of bread and rolls have fallen by 0.1 percent. Products with fewer calories than traditional bread and rolls have done well with newly health-conscious consumers. Only 1 percent of the overall bread and cereal segment can make a gluten-free claim, not leaving much of an option for individuals who can’t eat gluten.
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Americans still hanker for their hunka cheese. Consumption of cheese in the U.S. has nearly tripled since 1970 and individuals now eat about 34 pounds of the stuff each year on average. Sales surged 7.3 percent over the past yea, reflecting popular food trends since cheese is high protein, all natural and gluten-free.
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New laws allowing more supermarkets in different states to sell wine has most likely contributed to the strong 5.5 percent growth in sales over the past year. Supermarkets are also boosting sales with new initiatives to help shoppers overwhelmed or intimidated by the large selections of wine in liquor stores, such as categorizing wines in detailed ways or hiring more employees to answer customer questions.
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Snap, crackle and drop? Cereal sales have fallen 3.1 percent over the past year as more Americans are basing their breakfast choices on either convenience or health. Cereal giants are fighting back in a variety of ways, such as by introducing healthier products or promising to phase out artificial flavors and colors.
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Dollar sales for yogurt grew 2.9 percent this past year, continuing a boom that's been going on since the late 1980s — and shows no sign of stopping, according to the Midwest Dairy Association. The portion of households buying yogurt grew from around 60 percent in 2000 to around 85 percent last year. Although Greek yogurt, a former consumer favorite, has started to lose its popularity, yogurt producers are embarking on the latest craze — indulgent yogurts, such as ones made with whole milk.
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Fresh ingredients are icing out frozen dinners and entrees, which saw sales drop 2.8 percent over the past year. Consumers are more concerned about the ingredients in the food they’re eating and if they prepare meals themselves, they know exactly what is being used.
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U.S. consumers still love their daily jolt of caffeine, with coffee sales growing 7.6 percent. But we're not only interested in a plain cup of joe. Coffee customization is rapidly becoming more popular — dollar sales of coffee additives and flavorings jumped 20.2 percent and single-cup coffee sales grew 24.9 percent. Meanwhile, sales of instant decaf coffee plummeted 6.7 percent and instant coffee sales overall fell 2.4 percent.
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Intense merchandising and reduced prices helped sales climb 5.9 percent over the past year, despite environmental concerns about all that plastic. Sales of bubbly water have grown the most: Sparkling and mineral water sales jumped 13.6 percent, while sales of bottled still water rose 4.6 percent and jug or bulk still water climbed 4.2 percent.
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As Americans focus more on healthy foods, desserts are taking a hit. But we still love our ice cream: The average American eats almost 22 pounds of it a year, and dollar sales grew by 2.5 percent in the 12 months through mid-June. Manufacturers are trying to bump up sales even more by playing around with creative ice cream flavors, such as goat cheese and bourbon.
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Cracker sales have been kind of, um, dry, rising just 0.4 percent over the past year. Breadsticks had a crummy year, too, with sales dropping 10.9 percent. Sales of saltine crackers and crackers with filling also fell.
Clickr/Quinn Dombrowski
The steep 10 percent increase in sales of eggs this past year isn’t something that poultry producers are necessarily celebrating. The rise is most likely due to a price spike that resulted from an outbreak of bird flu, the worst seen in three decades in the U.S. In June 2014, the national average price for eggs was 87 cents a dozen, but prices this past June were double that level. Some analysts fear prices could reach a staggering $6 a dozen if the flu returns in the fall.
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Sales of U.S. orange juice hit a new multiyear low this year, at least in part because parents are turning to drinks that contain less sugar. Juicy Juice, the leading kids’ 100 percent juice drink, has also taking a hit: Sales fell 10 percent this year. Refrigerated juice and drinks are most likely taking a beating because more parents are turning to healthier options. Suja, a small company that produces organic, cold-pressed juices, has had rapid growth since its 2012 launch, and sales have more than doubled since last year.
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Breakfast has become easily the most popular meal of the day, with restaurant sales of morning fare overtaking those of lunch and dinner. Homemade breakfast meals are also hugely popular — after all, it is the most important meal of the day: Sales of breakfast meats, such as sausage and bacon, have grown 5.75 percent over the past year. Another potential reason for the uptick in sales could be the low unemployment rate in the U.S. As more people are waking up early for work, more people are eating breakfast.
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Cookies still remain a crowd favorite, and sales rose 0.6 percent this year. But as the health trend keeps going, companies have been starting to offer new varieties of cookies to remain relevant, including gluten-free choices, ones with fish oil and new twists on old favorites, such as Oreos. New Oreo Thins are four millimeters thinner, seven calories lighter and specifically designed not to be twisted apart like the traditional version, giving them a more sophisticated touch.
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Some Americans are still ignoring the health risks of cigarettes: supermarket sales are up 1.5 percent. But smokers could soon have a hard time finding a pack of butts. CVS banned tobacco sales in early 2014, which may have provided a bit of a boost to supermarket sales...for now. Non-smoking advocates have started putting pressure on other major chains, like Safeway and Walgreens, to stop selling cigarettes.
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Consumers wary of the lack of freshness of processed and canned foods have driven soup sales donw by 1.2 percent in the last year, following two flat years. The world’s largest soup company, Campbell Soup, has certainly felt the burn, acknowledging in third-quarter financial results in May that soup sales had plunged 10 percent.
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Salads used to be synonymous with bland: A few bits of lettuce, some shredded carrots, thinly sliced cucumbers and some other dull vegetables thrown together. But today supermarkets are offering huge varieties of salads, all in ready-to-go packages. These new products are driving up prices and increasing sales, playing a major part in the 11.4 percent overall increase in sales in the salad and coleslaw category.
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The chocoholics of America aren’t going anywhere. Sales of chocolate rose 3 percent this past year. More than half of U.S. consumers eat chocolate at least once a week, according to Mintel Food and Drink. That’s over 150 million people.
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Soaring beef prices helped reverse the downward sales trend seen in 2014, with a 3.37 percent increase in sales this past year. Turkey prices have also been up this year because the bird flu killed nearly 5.6 million turkeys across the country. Prices for fresh boneless and skinless breast meat, usually sold as deli meat, rose about 10 percent from mid-April to mid-May.
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Bottled juices, meaning juices that can be safely stored at room temperature, saw a 1.61 percent drop in sales. The downturn might be due to more and more people gravitating toward fresh and all-natural juices as well as the growing wariness of sugar.
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The 0.27 percent rise in sales for toilet tissue could be due to the rising popularity of what the industry refers to as “luxury” rolls — any tissue that’s been perfumed, quilted, lotioned or is ultra-soft. Sales of luxury toilet tissue rose to $1.4 billion last year in the U.S., outperforming all other types of toilet paper for the first time in almost 10 years. The improving economy has helped, as consumers are able to indulge on such products. The luxury toilet paper sector is projected to grow 9 percent over the next five years, which should make for a healthy bottom line.
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