Editor's note: This article appeared in the April 30, 2009, edition of Quirk's e-newsletter.

Chicago research company Mintel has reviewed and re-forecasted its research reports from the past two years and has identified which food and drink markets are actually being improved by recessionary woes. "As consumers spend less and stay in more, certain food markets are benefitting. These recession-proof, or rather recession-fueled, industries are destined to do well throughout the economic downturn, but it will be interesting to track their sales after the nation recovers," says Bill Patterson, senior analyst at Mintel.

Bread. From breakfast bagels to lunchtime sandwiches to dinner rolls, bread is the core of basic American eating, and the bread market is expected to fare the recession quite well. Originally predicted to grow 2.1 percent in 2008, Mintel's latest figures show the bread market having grown 7 percent. Mintel now predicts higher growth for bread through 2013.

Sweet Spreads. America's quintessential lunch - the PB&J - is doing great during recessionary times. A healthy, cheap source of protein, peanut butter will drive sweet spread sales to increase 26 percent from 2008-2013, up substantially from Mintel's initial prediction of 12 percent.

Frozen Meals. Convenient, available in family-sized servings, filling and often inexpensive, frozen meals will undoubtedly benefit from the recession. Mintel expects a revised total sales increase of 4.5 percent in 2008, a jump from its original -0.3 percent expectation.

Side Dishes. More people are cooking at home, but small conveniences like ready-prepared side dishes aren't out of the question for many families. Mintel only expected the side-dish market to grow 2.3 percent in 2008, but in fact, it grew more than 5 percent, driven by increased sales of basic comfort foods such as mac and cheese.

Coffee. The $4 latte is finally going out of fashion. More adults are making their coffee at home, causing the retail coffee market to grow 6 percent in 2008, a substantial jump from Mintel's original forecast of 2.4 percent. Mintel expects this market to enjoy continued success in the future, though recent, less-expensive coffee drink launches from Dunkin' Donuts and McDonald's will compete with at-home coffee sales.