The Top-Trending Foods in Your Carts Over the Past Decade
Shopping for groceries online and having them delivered is convenient (and the norm) for a lot of Americans today, but is still a new concept considering the 100-plus years since the first true self-service grocery store launched. In the past decade, grocery delivery services skyrocketed on platforms such as Instacart from just a few retailers to more than 70,000. To honor a decade of browsing the digital aisles, Instacart shared the top items you added to your "cart" among the nearly 3 billion grocery items listed at more than 750 retailers. Here are the trendiest items you've had delivered to your doorstep.
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10. Produce Preference
It can be a challenge to put the fate of tomorrow's avocado toast in the hands of your online grocery shopper. A whopping 60 million shoppers left detailed instructions for choosing their perfect produce in the past decade. Avocados, in particular, had five million comments left for the shoppers.
9. The New "Meat"
Eating more plant-based foods is a trend that's here to stay. Brands such as Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat's groundbreaking meat-like burgers turned heads of both vegetarians and red meat eaters. Today, there are more than 1,000 plant-based meat options available to purchase.
8. All for the Alt Milk
Speaking of plant-based staples, the dairy section has a lot more than cow's milk to offer these days. In the beginning, there were only five types of plant-based milks (almond, coconut, flaxseed, rice, and soy) offered. Today, the nondairy options go beyond the nuts and soy with close to 20 options including chia, pea, sesame, and oat (the current favorite with deliveries increasing by 3,000% in the past 4 years).
Related: Make Your Own Walnut Milk
7. Pet Essentials
Our furry friends need groceries, too. The need for food, treats, and other pet products sold via Instacart grew by 3 times since since April 2013.
6. Mindful Eating
Going grocery shopping in-person while hungry can be a dangerous thing. Thanks to the online grocery carts, consumers are skipping some of the impulsive buys and opting for more nutritional choices. According to to a recent survey of more than 2,000 Americans conducted by Instacart via The Harris Poll, 81% of shoppers said buying online helps keep food choices on the healthier side. The purchase data backs this up, with 90% of orders coming from perimeter aisles (aka the spots with produce, proteins, dairy, and grains).
5. The Power of Cauliflower
In an age where allergies and dietary restrictions require no gluten, we saw this cruciferous veggie take the place of some of the glutinous and carb-filled favorites such as pizza, pasta, and rice. The shelves are lined with different products and account for sales increasing by 194% in the past decade.
Related: Get Our Cauliflower-Crusted Pizza Recipe
4. Canned Drink Spotlight
The alcohol section looks a lot different now that hard seltzers are on the shelves. In the past six years, the love for these boozy bubbly beverages continues to grow with an increase of 164 times in sales, to be exact.
3. TikTok Mania
Anyone on social media over the past couple of years probably made a recipe inspired by a recipe as seen on TikTok. Literally every time a recipe (i.e. Baked Feta Pasta, Salmon Rice Bowl, and Nature's Cereal) started trending, users immediately added the ingredients to their "carts" to attempt the dishes at home.
2. Keeping Things Spicy
Move over, ketchup! Hot sauce is now the most popular condiment in the U.S, with 1.1 million gallons of the spicy topper delivered in the past 10 years. As for the selection, it's grown from 8 to 1,000 unique options. No surprise, Sriracha reigns supreme in 31 states.
Related: Get Our Smoky Hot Sauce Recipe
1. Beyond Plain Water
When it comes to still or sparkling water, online shoppers are opting for the bubbles. In 2016 (the height of the phenomenon), 1 out of 7 orders on Instacart included flavored sparkling water. Today, there are more than 3,000 SKUs (different varieties) of sparkling water shipped out via the online grocery app.
