Six months into a global pandemic and safe-at-home quarantine orders, most Americans have dropped travel plans and dramatically reduced away-from-home dining.

Cheese and dairy remain as popular as ever with consumers and retain their reputation for versatility among menu makers. It highlights just how ideally positioned this food category is for the near term, when the world is still dealing with the Coronavirus pandemic.

Insights from Datassential's new Snacking Keynote Report support the notion that snacking is ingrained in consumer lifestyles. It has become a "fourth daypart" satisfying a consumer's need for taste, variety, freshness, and value—not just for empty calories between meals or late at night.

Operators of supermarket delis, bakeries, and prepared-food areas recently have found a recipe for success: Two out of every three surveyed for Datassential's Supermarket Prepared Keynote Report said their foodservice sales increased in the past year.

While there's good reason to have plenty of chocolate chip cookies and vanilla ice cream on hand for the 93% of consumers who have had a dessert in the past week, the appeal of things like savory ingredients and ethnic varieties will continue to grow for this eating occasion.