5 things: Is your bakery department the best?

The best bakery departments: Consumers have spoken. FMI, The Food Industry Association reported recently that about 95% of consumers visit their grocery store bakery on occasion. Eat This, Not That last month put together their list of the six best grocery store chains to go to for baked goods, based on other recent research and reporting. Costco’s bakery, for example, was voted the best in a recent Mashed survey, while Whole Foods dominated a Reddit thread. Yum! — Leigh Anne Zinsmeister

Paper or plastic or … designer purse material? — As more and more states and municipalities around the country phase out single-use plastic bags (Colorado and Narragansett, R.I., are among the latest), the alternatives have become increasingly less appealing. Several recent reports have cited the potential environmental impact of reusable bags, while consumers complain about having closets full of reusable bags that they, well… just don’t reuse. The craftiest consumers have come up with solutions to make their reusable bags go farther, however. This New York Times report details how handbag designer Shelley Parker is converting her Fresh Direct bags into purses that she offers for as much as $899. That’s recycling at its finest. — Mark Hamstra

Everything old is new again: The nostalgia trend is creeping its way into the retail space, with Yahoo rounding up 11 old-school grocery items that are everywhere right now. The list includes Dunkaroos, BBQ Fritos and my own personal childhood lunch favorite — Smucker’s Uncrustables. With Klarna singling out nostalgia as a trend in 2022, and FreshDirect ranking it high as well, the only question consumers have must be: Which favorite will return next? — LAZ

Flying high: The grocery delivery skies are becoming increasingly crowded. Walmart Inc. is reporting that it completed more than 6,000 drone deliveries in 2022 with 36 participating stores in seven states: Texas (11 stores); Florida (9); Arizona (6); Arkansas (4); Virginia (3); Utah (2) and North Carolina (1). Five of the most popular products delivered by Walmart drones are Great Value cookies, Great Value ice cream, two-pound bags of lemons, rotisserie chicken, Red Bull energy drinks and Bounty paper towels, the company said. Amazon, meanwhile, said its new drone will enable customers to choose the airborne route more often by having increased range, expanded temperature tolerance, and the capability to fly in light rain. Look out below! —Richard Mitchell

Carbon-neutral eggs? According to Yahoo, Kroger is now selling what it claims are America’s first carbon-neutral eggs, going beyond the cage-free, free-range and pasture-raised terminology consumers have become familiar with in recent years. The egg-laying hens enjoy such luxuries as solar panel-equipped henhouses with skylights and gardens. Four such henhouses were built in Indiana by supplier MPS Eggs Farms, and the eggs are available at select locations in Ohio and Michigan for now. But are these eggs really better? — LAZ