Sweet snacks sales are soaring in quarantines. 

Sweet snacks sales are soaring in quarantines. According to data from Numerator’s Sweet Treat Tracker, sugar snack purchases increased 8% last year with much of it taking place online. Baking chips and mixes were the best performing category—up 24% in 2020. The trend continued into the new year with year-to-date sales seeing a  23% growth compared to the same period last year. Ice cream sales were up 20%, while packaged cookies were up 100%. IRI reported that the brand So Delicious Dairy Free enjoyed more than 20% growth in the last year, and they recently started selling directly to consumers on their site Online Scoop Shop. Meanwhile, online sweet snack buying “got the biggest slice among retail channels” more than doubling with 104% growth—and year-to-date 2021 online sweet treat sales grew 119% compared to the same period last year. YPulse’s Comfort in the Kitchen trend research found that the number of young consumers buying chips, candy and sweets, cookies, and ice cream increased during the pandemic. (Ad Age)