With shaky economic times, many people are cutting back on luxuries. Think travel, pricey jewelry and, of course, dining out.
While the latter is bad news if you’re in the restaurant business, it’s great news for grocers. Natural foods shoppers are increasingly buying nutritious packaged foods that are easy on the wallet, such as beans and shelf-stable pasta.
Here are the most popular packaged foods and beverages for 2008 and 2009.
Maria Cote is a Boulder, Colo.-based writer.