SALT LAKE CITY — Ever wonder what your neighbors are buying at the grocery store? Well, wonder no longer. Because there's new data that shows the top-trending grocery store items in the Salt Lake area.
Instacart, the online grocery ordering and delivery service, has analyzed its data to discover the most popular supermarket purchases in the United States, both nationally and locally. In general, the findings point to a shift away from pandemic-era purchases (hand sanitizers, sanitizing wipes, yeast for baking, and so on) and toward more goods that imply a return to regular purchasing habits.
Instacart’s “Year in Groceries” report is based on data gathered between Jan. 2021 and Nov. 2021. Another thing to keep in mind, the data only takes delivery purchases into account, and thus doesn't reflect what in-store shoppers are buying.
However, throughout the bulk of 2021, the nation's fastest-growing grocery goods suggested more purchases connected with an on-the-go lifestyle than in 2020. More cereal bars, premade sandwiches, and energy drinks were purchased, as well as more typical household essentials like spaghetti and frozen French toast.
Locally, Instacart’s data determined the hottest purchases in Salt Lake City were: Body lotions, tofu, mixed frozen berries, frozen burritos and oat milk.
According to the data, prepared Mexican food dishes were overall on the rise in Salt Lake City during 2021. As well as Wet Wipes.
Instacart says that SLC's twin city, as far as grocery buying habits, is Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The data also showed that Salt Lake City was taken over by a TikTok trend in February. Grocery orders for the ingredients in baked feta pasta took the city by storm.
Also in February, the data shows what people were buying on Valentines Day to impress their loved ones in Salt Lake City. The top items were: Flower bouquets, disinfecting wipes, Gouda cheese, rib-eye steak and pain relievers. How romantic.
Instacart's data shows that the people of Salt Lake City also love bananas. In 2021 they ordered enough of them to stack as high as 409 Utah State Capitol buildings.
Plant-based meat also took over Salt Lake City in 2021, with residents ordering plant-based meat like the beyond-burger meat, 69% more than the rest of the country. Portland ordered the most.
The favorite ice cream flavors in Salt Lake City this year? Cookie dough, strawberry, mint chip, cookies & cream and salted caramel.
It's no secret that Utahns love sweets and Halloween. On Halloween in 2021, Salt Lake City ordered more candy than 88% of the country. Significantly more than Los Angeles, Miami and other bigger cities.
The Thanksgiving items that defined Salt Lake City: Brown sugar, pumpkin pie, pie crusts, cranberries and boxed stuffing.
More information from Instacart’s Year in Groceries report can be found here.
