How will we shop for produce in 2021?

If there’s one thing 2020 has shown us, it’s that expectations can be upended in a second when the unpredictable happens. 

Be that as it may, humans are incurable prognosticators, and the trend watchers have been busy readying lists of what we’ll be eating — and how we’ll be eating it — in the new year.

A lot of these predictions, based on pre-COVID-19 trends or new behaviors laid down during the pandemic, are great news for the fresh produce industry. 

Multiple sources, including Healthline, Forbes, and Oklahoma State University’s Robert M. Kerr Food and Agricultural Products Center predict that consumers will continue to seek out foods with immune system and other health-boosting properties.

Multiple forms of “plant-centric” eating, whether that means vegan/vegetarian cuisine, flexitarian meals, low-carb vegetable swaps or healthy comfort food, were also big on top trends lists. Cooking and eating at home are also likely to continue, at least for the short term.

And then there’s another pandemic-accelerated behavior: online grocery shopping. 

According to data from Brick Meets Click that The Packer’s editor Tom Karst recently reported on, 83% of active grocery pickup and delivery shoppers reported their intent to repeat that shopping method, a record high. 

Brick Meets Click said the probability that a first-time user of online-placed pickup or delivery orders would repeat that behavior was 59%, compared with 94% for those who had placed four or more orders that way. 

That means that nearly two-thirds of first-time online order placers are going to make another purchase that way, and repeat purchases are almost guaranteed from those in the second group.

If we know that people are looking for ways to boost their health through food, and they’re increasingly likely to shop for that food online, what are some ways grocery retailers and the fresh produce industry can take advantage of those behaviors?

How long these shopping patterns will continue hinges on a lot of factors, of course, including availability and acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines. But as long as work-from-home and uncertainty around in-person schooling or childcare options continue to be realities for many people, I’m guessing online grocery shopping habits will continue too.

So, if we know that people are looking for ways to boost their health through food, and they’re increasingly likely to shop for that food online, what are some ways grocery retailers and the fresh produce industry can take advantage of those behaviors?

As busy consumers juggle endless Zoom meetings — their own or their kids’ — as well as preparing significantly more meals at home than they were used to before the pandemic, “cooking fatigue” has become a common experience for many, and they’re looking for new-but-easy-but-still-healthy ways to get food on the table. 

What if, when someone adds broccoli to their online grocery cart, a message pops up that says “You added broccoli — check out this recipe for 5-ingredient Broccoli Beef Stir-Fry”? Or maybe carrots are on ad that week. A pop-up could say “Carrots are on sale at your store — here are five easy sides you can make.” 

Recipes could be provided by in-house retail dietitians or in partnership with produce companies themselves — so many produce marketers and organizations already have robust recipe resources. 

What 2021 holds is anybody’s guess, at this point, but it sure seems like eating for health and for enjoyment is poised to finally take hold. What are you doing to make it as easy as possible for tired, uninspired shoppers to find, buy and use your fruits and vegetables?

Amelia Freidline is The Packer’s designer and copy chief. E-mail her at afreidline@farmjournal.com.