Spice and butter sales boom during pandemic

Last weekend I spent a couple of hours stripping leaves from thyme, oregano, and mint stems that I had dried, preparing a stock of herbs to carry me through the long winter months ahead. I also assessed my spice collection and realized I have used more spices in the last few months than probably any other time since I started cooking. I have plowed through cinnamon from dozens of batches of cinnamon rolls, my go-to when I am looking for a soothing baking balm. In my spice drawer, everything from allspice to za’atar is running low.

I am not alone in this regard, as spice distributors have noted a dramatic uptick in their sales during the pandemic. (H/T to EYB Member sir_ken_g for this article). Spice sales have soared so much they have created a shortage of spice containers. As Bill Penzey, owner of Penzey’s spices stated, “Baking and cooking mean more to people. It’s about time spent with other people in your life. Even if you’re alone, cooking connects you to the people in your life, and that connection matters more now.” This could explain why, in spite of having a large and varied cookbook collection, I keep returning to family recipes.

Spice isn’t the only food product seeing huge sales spikes. Butter is another in-demand commodity, even as other dairy products are in a slump. According to Land O’Lakes, a top US dairy company, its butter sales have increased approximately 20 percent over a normal year. This is despite the fact the huge dip in restaurant sales due to the pandemic. “That’s a significant increase in our butter business,” CEO Beth Ford told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “That strength is more than offsetting the disruption [to the business-to-business dairy sales].”

With coronavirus cases increasing rapidly in many US states, it does not appear that either of these two trends will be declining in the next few months. If you have not already stocked up for holiday baking season, there is no need for concern as there appears to be plenty of butter on hand at the moment. Likewise, I have not noticed any lack of spices in my local supermarkets, despite the shortage in packaging materials described above. While there is no need for panic buying or hoarding, looming lockdowns make it prudent to assess your current inventory and shore up any deficiencies you see.