Americans Stock Up On Food as COVID-19 Concerns Rise

As concerns about the coronavirus outbreak are mounting in the United States, many Americans are stocking up their pantries, as they prepare for a large-scale epidemic. According to figures from Nielsen’s Retail Measurement Services published this week, sales of medical supplies and non-perishable food have increased significantly over the past few weeks.

After the first cases of expected community transmission in the United States in late February and Trump’s first press conference on the issue, weekly sales of powdered milk products, dried beans and canned meat jumped 84, 37 and 32 percent year-over-year, respectively.