Here's What We Bought in Quarantine, According to Kroger

2020 is over in a matter of days. Compared to other years, I can't recall a time when there was such a universal desire for one year to end and another begin. Though we'll want to leave the bad vibes behind, it's still worth reflecting a bit on the year that was, especially given the seismic shifts it introduced to our daily lives.

With that in mind, Kroger's shared some data about the 10 trendiest foods of 2020, using year over year sales increase data to pinpoint how this unprecedentedly weird year reshaped how and what we eat.

In terms of beverage habits, the liquids in Kroger's top 10 cover the whole spectrum of quarantine moods. Coming in at #1 overall by year on year sales increase, zero-calorie soft drinks showed that we were at least attempting to make a less-unhealthy choice with our purchases every now and then. Or it could just be that we're all hopelessly addicted to aspartame, so who knows. Further down the list at #8, a 96-count bulk order of individual coffee pods shows how we tried to stay thrifty, productive, and caffeinated while working from home. Most importantly, Sauvignon Blanc slide into the #4 spot, because we spent a whole bunch of nights at home with nothing better to do.

On the food side of things, it kind of looks like Kroger Shoppers spent most of the year having one long barbecue . Fresh burger patties (#6) and artisan breads/restaurant-style buns (#7) both cracked the top 10. Four-cheese Mexican blend shredded cheese (#2) and flavored potato chips (#3) could also underscore the BBQ theme, or else suggest that people spent a lot of 2020 trying their hand at making some unorthodox nachos in the microwave.

Despite the difficulty of doing Halloween amid a global pandemic, party-sized bags of variety chocolate came in at #9. Whether that increase in candy consumption was for ourselves or others isn't something we really need to think too much about right now.

When it comes to predicting 2021, Kroger has some unorthodox thoughts. Among their prognosticated trends is a rise in "ketotarian" foods, essentially the high-fat keto diet without the meat. Their press release also believes that "2021 will be a breakout year for mushrooms," so do with that information what you will.

Who knows what 2021 really has in store for us. But even once things gradually become more "normal" again, we'll always have the memory of the year where we all bought a ton of shredded cheese and white wine.