Why Aren’t More Groceries Packaged for Single People?

Eating alone is on the rise. According to the 2020 U.S. census, 27.6% of people now live alone, which is up from 1940 when 7.7% of American households comprised just one person. In certain cities, including Atlanta, Denver, Minneapolis, San Francisco and Seattle, that number edges up toward 40%. That means that a good percentage of us will spend a part of our lives preparing dinner for one. People living alone can often find themselves freezing pork chops packaged for three or four, letting part of that cheese get moldy or seeing some of those grapes turn to raisins. 

So why haven’t groceries caught up to the trend and packaged groceries into more convenient serving sizes? We spoke with supermarket consultant Joseph Welsh, whose firm is based in Las Vegas—here’s what we learned. 

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Why Groceries Are Packaged the Way They Are

Challenges at the Meat Counter

According to Welsh, maintaining a specific price point is responsible for much of the standard size of food packaged at the store. One area of the grocery store where shoppers may notice that occurring is the meat counter. “We’re trying to keep packages under 10 bucks,” he says. And that means buying in some level of bulk, though he argues that three or four pork chops could be considered a two-person serving. 

Regarding ground beef, Welsh says, “It doesn’t matter what lean it is. You start getting over $10 a package and it dies. Six, seven, eight bucks, that’s the sweet spot.” If you’re not interested in a big package of ground beef, he also points out that larger grocery stores may have meat counters at which shoppers can buy limited items for one, which might include that smaller serving of ground beef. 

There are also more companies selling single-serving packages of products like steak and fish. For example, Bridget Kozlowski, director of communications for Aldi, name-checks fresh Atlantic salmon and Black Angus petite sirloin steaks as proteins available in single servings at the international chain.

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Options Are Improving

“I see a lot of evidence in stores of CPG (consumer packaged goods) companies expanding their SKUs (stock-keeping unit) into single serving or portion-controlled sizes,” says Welsh. One brand he gives credit to is Minute Rice, which now sells single-serving cups in varieties including brown, jasmine and basmati rice. For example, at Walmart, shoppers can pick up a two-pack of 4.4-ounce portions of long-grain white rice from the company for a budget-friendly $1.96.

Welsh also sees many more stores moving into the world of “meal solutions,” as he calls them, including meal kits. In the last five to seven years, he’s seen more and more stores using their deli counters to create packaged meals using fresh meat and produce. Generally priced at around $10, the meals can be a more appealing alternative to the freezer aisle. For example, Wegmans shoppers can take advantage of “restaurant foods” such as lemon-garlic chicken with Szechuan sauce or shrimp scampi for around $12 per meal, and most are packaged to serve one.

“That [option] started with some of your healthier operators, but it’s become mainstream in chain stores,” says Welsh. “Even independents now have meal replacements and meal solutions.”

Grocery Shopping Hacks for One

Bigger grocery stores are still catching up, and until they do, one of the best hacks when shopping for one is to shop local if you can. A great relationship with the folks behind your butcher counter could mean getting smaller cuts of one of the meats not normally carried in their case. 

Looking to buy higher-end cheeses that you won’t find behind the deli counter? Keep your eyes peeled for stores that sell cheese ends. For example, small but mighty retailer Healthy Living Market in Vermont has a stunning assortment of mini portions of local and international cheese for around $5. Not close to a gourmet store like that one? Whole Foods shoppers have a similar option. Whether you’re in the market for Gouda or Cheddar, the petite chunks of dairy bliss are a great way to try new cheeses in a smaller serving without waste.

For produce, it can be best to focus on fruits and vegetables that keep for a while. Instead of using relatively fragile lettuces, learn to love a kale Caesar. Growing your own herbs in a kitchen window can be life-changing, so grab that pot of basil at the store and keep it going for as long as you can!

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It’s been almost 15 years since famed cookbook editor Judith Jones published her delightful The Pleasures of Cooking for One, but the sentiment still rings true today. Cooking for yourself should be an adventure, a chance to eat exactly what you want and need every day. And little by little, grocery stores are making it easier to do.