NEW YORK - The latest Nielsen Total US dollar sales data shows that the pattern of higher-than-average grocery sales continued into the last week of April. Total instore consumer packaged goods sales (CPG) in the United States were up 20.4%, online CPG sales were up 60.3% and online food sales overall were up 86.1%.    

Overall, sales were significantly up from the week of April 18, which rivaled Easter 2019, and saw total instore CPG sales up 5.6% and online CPG sales up 56%. Instore, hand sanitizer saw the top week-over-week growth followed by oat milk, fresh meat alternatives and baking powder. Meat continues to be the second top growing instore category, outmatched by the frozen department.  

The charts below break down Nielsen’s data by department and meat, dairy and alternatives for the weeks ending on April 18, April 25 and the eight weeks leading up to April 25: