SUMMER 2021 35
Several specialty categories experienced strong 2020 growth after relatively uninspiring perfor-
mance or even declining sales in 2019. A few grew sales on a far larger scale than they would have
in typical circumstances, as meal preparation became a primary focus during COVID.
Strong growth in 2020 wasn't a given for all categories despite at-home
meal consumption. Some 26 categories, with 38 percent of sales in 2020,
grew slower than the market during 2018-2020.
Some of these categories, like chips, pretzels, snacks, fell o… as consumers
prioritized more necessities in their home meal consumption. Other cate-
gories, including protein-forward yogurt and plant-based yogurt, func-
tional beverages (shelf stable), and wellness bars and gels, su…ered a
slowdown as consumers didn't need these items as often for the oˆce,
school, or gym.
COVID
Growth jump in 2020 v. 2019
Growth slowdown
and decline in 2020
Fruit and vegetables (Frozen) Grew 74x faster in 2020 than 2019
Pasta (Refrigerated) Grew 2.7x faster in 2020 than 2019
Pasta (Shelf stable) Grew 90x faster in 2020 than 2019
Seasonings Grew nearly 8x faster in 2020 than 2019
Tofu Grew 18x faster in 2020 than 2019
Chips, pretzels, snacks The largest category overall to under-perform the market
Functional beverages (Shelf stable) Declined in 2020, and was also down slightly in 2019
Wellness bars and gels Declined in 2020, after growing in 2019
Yogurt and plant-based yogurt Notable as a very large category that declined slightly in 2019,
LIFT-OFF
COVID
DROP-OFF
COVID-19 Impact on Category Sales
and grew just slightly in 2020
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tofu
frozen
