Number of the Day
Why 40% of Americans Are Eating More Than 48 Cookies a Month
Global demand for cookies has surged during the pandemic.
31.6%: That’s how much the global demand for cookies has grown during the pandemic, according to market research firm Top Data. A third of Americans they surveyed during the pandemic said they eat between 24 and 48 cookies a month, and nearly 40% eat more than 48 cookies a month.
All that extra cookie consumption is creating shortages during the holiday season, so don’t be surprised if you aren’t finding cookies to go with your eggnog. Campbell Soup Company, which owns the Pepperidge Farm brand that makes cookies like Milano and Chessmen, warned that it was facing supply constraints due to labor shortages and increased demand.
To keep getting their cookie fix, Americans may have to resort to baking their own — now that they can find the flour. Earlier in the pandemic, a home baking craze led to a shortage. As David H. Freedman reported in Marker back in May, the Vermont-based flour producer King Arthur Flour (which rebranded to King Arthur Baking in July) had to adapt rapidly to the unexpected surge in demand for flour during the early months of the pandemic.
