Pandemic Produce: Impacts of COVID-19 on Florida's Fruit and Vegetable Industries

Florida has one of the most diverse agricultural economies in the United States, producing several dozen types of fruits and vegetables that are consumed within the state, across the country, and around the world. The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting policy responses occurred during the peak of spring harvest season for many crops in Florida, abruptly removing market demand from the food service industry and shifting consumer purchasing habits, which enabled insights into several aspects of the fruit and vegetable supply chain. This article examines how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted fruit and vegetable industries in Florida, how these industries responded to COVID-19 impacts, and how Florida's experience compared to that of other states. Data are derived from several sources including a statewide survey that measured agricultural production losses in Florida resulting from COVID-19 in early 2020, interviews with Florida operations that provided insights into how the pandemic induced change across the food supply chain, and a survey of food supply chain operations in three regions of the United States conducted in 2021. © 2022 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston.

Change and Innovation within Florida's Food System in Response to COVID-19

The overall socioeconomic impacts of a pandemic event will vary temporally and geographically with differences in duration and scope of the event as well as with the extent and pervasiveness of the individual and institutional behavioral effects in response to the event. The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated these behavioral shifts are impacted by several factors, each with differing levels of influence on the overall effects of the pandemic. In some instances, new or more tightly enforced regulations or laws limited the extent and manner in which individuals could interact outside their homes. In some cases, these regulations forced businesses to close or impeded their ability to adapt quickly. In other instances, regulatory shifts aimed at easing enforcement or monetary support enabled businesses and individuals to adapt to the circumstances they operated in. Changes in food consumption patterns (e.g., food at home vs. food away from home) caused significant, abrupt shifts in product movements. Researchers from the University of Florida and Florida Gulf Coast University used a two-phase mixed methodology approach to evaluate the modifications, changes, adaptations, and innovations occurring within Florida's food system. This chapter presents findings from the second, interview-based phase of this approach, which suggest that this period of limitations and transformation led to new relationships amongst food system stakeholders that continue to provide access to new markets and new revenue streams. © 2023 selection and editorial matter, Luca Storti, Giulia Urso and Neil Reid;individual chapters, the contributors.