COVID-19 pandemic, food behaviour and consumption patterns

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), identified at the end of 2019 in Wuhan (China), is nowadays one of the most pressing global challenges facing humanity. Data from the World Health Organisation (WHO) show that there are currently more than 150 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and more than 3 million reported deaths. Alongside the dramatic impact on health systems, the COVID-19 pandemic is expected to have dire effects on the socio-economic development of societies and people’s livelihoods worldwide. In fact, COVID-19 caused a severe global economic recession, increasing unemployment and poverty worldwide. The pandemic is even considered a serious threat to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) encompassed in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Moreover, a growing body of evidence shows that the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as measures taken by governments to slow down the spread of the virus (e.g. lockdowns, mobility restrictions, shops closing), also disrupted food systems with implications in terms of food and nutrition security at all levels (global, regional, national, local, household, individual). The COVID-19 outbreak caused socio-economic shocks that affected the functioning of agriculture and food systems and the food security status of millions of people worldwide. The pandemic affected all food system activities (production, processing, distribution, consumption) and components (supply chain, food environment, and consumer behaviour).

While a growing body of research addresses the pandemic’s disrupting effects on food supply chains, impacts on food environments and consumer behaviour are still rather overlooked, especially in developing countries. Furthermore, available data on the effects of COVID-19 on food systems are rather mixed; while some scholars claim that the pandemic can contribute to a transition towards more sustainable consumption patterns and diets, others highlight its adverse impacts on food access, food security, and nutrition status. This Research Topic aims to shed light on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on food procurement behaviour, nutrition, and eating habits, as well as the repercussions of these changes.

Therefore, this Research Topic addresses the immediate and long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on:
- Food procurement, acquisition and shopping behaviour;
- Food preparation and cooking behaviour;
- Eating habits, diets and food consumption patterns;
- Food access and food environments;
- Food supply;
- Food wastage;
- Food security and nutrition;
- Incidence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs);
- Implementation of SDG 2 “Zero Hunger”;
- Environmental assessment of COVID-19 on food systems.