March 29, 2024

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Kiwis’ shopping trolleys dominated by healthy foods in 2020



a group of people in a cage: Watch: Kiwis' shopping trolleys dominated by healthy foods in 2020.


© Video – Newshub; Image – Getty Images
Watch: Kiwis’ shopping trolleys dominated by healthy foods in 2020.

Looking back on Kiwi’s behaviour at the supermarket last year, you’d think our shopping trolleys would be dominated by toilet paper and flour, but a new study has revealed that we were big on eating healthier in 2020.

If COVID-19 taught us anything, it’s that our health is important, and that changed what went on our supermarket shopping lists.

The United Fresh Trend Report reveals the national lockdown played a major role in consumer behaviour.

“I think it was fairly natural that we tended back towards healthier foods, natural foods, whole foods, fresh fruits and vegetables, all those kinds of foods that we know are good for us,” food and health writer Niki Bezzant says.

Kiwis’ shopping trolleys dominated by healthy foods in 2020

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The study found 60 percent of Kiwis showed a real interest in knowing where their food came from and shoppers were driven towards home-grown produce when imported goods were scarce.

“Some of the foods that are familiar to us aren’t maybe grown here and we learned a bit more about that,” she says.

Over 20 percent of shoppers were looking for fresh fruit and produce and foods with immunity-boosting properties, which sounds good, but consumers need to be careful of their claims.

“It’s a really long bow to draw to say something you buy in the supermarket is going to help you avoid any kind of virus or illness,” Bezzant says.

Forty percent of Kiwi families said they were feeling the financial effects of COVID-19, but chose affordable treats over luxury items.

“For many years we’ve been shopping for smaller amounts more frequently, but last year we ditched all of that, opting for a big shop-up and doing it once a week,” she says.

And 75 percent of New Zealanders said they’d prefer to cook from scratch over dinners and ordering takeaways. 

“I think that will continue as well people doing more things at home, and that sort of plays into a broader trend of going back to the familiar, the comforting,” Bezzant says.

Going back to basics in a global pandemic – just what the doctor ordered.