Note: includes foods that people regularly buy from a grocery store; for at-home consumption; excludes restaurant, food service, and drinking place sales
Additional Note: Other packaged and shelf-stable foods includes packaged dry meals and dinner kits; instant and shelf-stable prepared meals; instant and packaged side dishes; stuffing and potato mixes; dried beans, peas, and legumes; instant noodle meals and noodle cups; specialty packaged foods, and other packaged and shelf-stable foods that fall outside of breakfast foods; snacks and sweets; shelf-stable breads; canned goods and preserved foods; dried pasta, noodles, grains, and rice; sauces, gravies, dips, and condiments; cooking and baking supplies; baby and toddler foods; and nut butters, honey, and spreads. Sales can occur through channels outside of traditional grocers or supermarkets, such as warehouse clubs and superstores, convenience stores, gas stations, pharmacies, drugstores, and online delivery and meal-kit subscription services. EMARKETER benchmarks its US total retail sales figures against US Department of Commerce data from 2018 onward. The last full year measured was 2025.
Methodology: Estimates are based on the analysis of data from other research firms and government agencies, historical trends, reported and estimated revenues of major online retailers, consumer online buying trends, and macro-level economic conditions.