DENVER (KDVR) – Denverites love red bell peppers and got tired of ordering hand sanitizer in 2021, according to a new report from Instacart.
Instacart, an online ordering and delivery platform for groceries, has delved into its data to determine the most common supermarket purchases throughout the U.S., both on national and local levels. In a general sense, the findings indicate a shift away from pandemic-era purchases (hand sanitizers, sanitizing wipes, yeast for baking, etc.) and toward more items that suggest a return to normal buying habits.
In Denver, this meant buying healthy and unique veggies, including frozen kale and Persian cucumbers. Meanwhile, snow peas and fingerling potatoes fell in popularity.
Instacart noted these were the favorite items in Denver compared to the rest of the country:
- Red bell peppers
- Jalapeno peppers
- Lemons
- Oat milk
- Shallots
It’s worth noting, however, that Instacart’s “Year in Groceries” report is based on data compiled between January 2021 and Novemeber 2021, and does not necessarily reflect how our nation’s purchases may have changed in response to the omicron variant’s dominance in the U.S.
Another caveat: the report takes only Instacart delivery purchases into account, and thus presents a limited look at the nation’s grocery-buying habits.
That said, the nation’s fastest-growing grocery items, at least for the majority of 2021, indicated more purchases associated with an on-the-go lifestyle than in 2020. Among them, Americans bought more cereal bars, prepared sandwiches and energy drinks, along with more traditional household staples like Gemelli pasta and frozen French toast.
