To quote the great American philosopher Homer Simpson: "In times of trouble you've got to go with what you know."
People know they need supplies and want to have something not perishable. So they go for pasta, rice and TP. As others are panic buying, they need to do so too.
On the plus side companies selling emergency rations have a turnover that ensures that customers receive fresh items instead of "had it in storage for a year"-"kind of fresh".
When I was much younger, it was not unusual to use news papers or ad papers to wipe the backside. Ad papers come in huge amounts and for free to my mailbox. Most of them are not printed on glossy paper. In a pinch I could that.