According to IRI data from the week of March 15, total store sales were up 62.5 percent. Although paper goods and other non-edibles had, unsurprisingly, the biggest jump, the bakery aisle jumped 62.3 percent. IRI also found an increase of 44.3 percent for cookies and crackers, combined.
Consumers are looking for easy lunch and dinner options; IRI data showed that functional bakery items such as bread, rolls, and buns had the biggest jump in sales. Bagel and English muffins also had a large increase, of about 50 percent. Bakery items such as pastries, doughnuts and bakery snacks also had increased sales, compared to the same week in 2019.