Food availability and shopping channels during the disasters: Has the COVID-19 pandemic changed peoples' online food purchasing behavior?

COVID-19 caused online buying channels to flourish across the globe. However, the extent to which online channels in Pakistan assisted peoples in coping with the pandemic remains unknown. This study aims to examine peoples behavior and perceptions regarding online food purchasing and its impact on different aspects of food security. The data were collected through online surveys of 1067 respondents in Punjab and Sindh provinces during the COVID-19 pandemic. We find that peoples access to food was adversely affected by the pandemic. However, people are increasingly purchasing food online, which has improved their accessibility to food. According to the findings, 62.51% of respondents reported to have changed their perception and behavior regarding online food purchasing. In addition, almost 46.40% of peoples reported that online shopping increased their access to food during the pandemic. Using logit regression, economic analysis shows that education, monthly income, and access to basic necessities such as clean drinking water, better sanitation, and better employment are positively related to online buying behavior. For future disaster situations in Pakistan to mitigate the adverse effects on food security, strengthening and promoting the use of online purchasing channels could be an important policy instrument.

Improving Fruit and Vegetable Accessibility, Purchasing, and Consumption to Advance Nutrition Security and Health Equity in the United States.

In recent years, national and local efforts to improve diet and health in the United States have stressed the importance of nutrition security, which emphasizes consistent access to foods and beverages that promote health and prevent disease among all individuals. At the core of this endeavor is fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption, a dietary practice that is integral to attaining and sustaining a healthy diet. Unfortunately, significant inequities in FV accessibility, purchasing, and consumption exist, particularly among populations that are socially and economically disadvantaged. To achieve nutrition and health equity in the United States, the field must center the goal of nutrition security and initiatives that aim to increase FV consumption, specifically, in future work. The International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH) Special Issue titled "Nutrition and Health Equity: Revisiting the Importance of Fruit and Vegetable Availability, Purchasing, and Consumption" features several scholarly publications from experts conducting timely research on these topics. In this commentary, we (1) summarize the U.S.-based literature on inequities in FV accessibility, purchasing, and consumption, (2) describe how the contributions to this IJERPH special issue can advance nutrition security and health equity, and (3) outline future research questions from our perspective.

Food Accessibility and Movement Control Order: Analyzing Impact of First Lockdown on Access to Food

Introduction: The emergence of the coronavirus has highlighted the weaknesses of the global economy, especially in terms of food supply and demand. While various research has been established on the disruption of the COVID-19 to the food supply chain, little is known on the extent of the food supply issues in Malaysia and what it means for our future. As such, this research focuses on addressing these questions: does COVID-19 affect food supply? Who’s at risk of food supply disruption? And what are the long-term impacts? Methods: This cross-sectional study carried out online data collection utilising the snowball sampling method. 3 months of data collection yielded data from 666 respondents. Chi-square analysis was carried out to determine the association between food accessibility before and after the first MCO . Results: Most of the respondents are below 35 years of age, with only 20% reported food supply disruption. 12% reported food shortage during the initial MCO which was significantly associated with gender, level of education and income. A significant difference between food accessibility before and during the initial MCO was also found. Conclusion: Data indicates that food access disruption was brief, due to initial confusion with travel restrictions and panic buying. While the initial MCO did cause a food accessibility issue, the paper revealed instead the potential food security issue that exists regardless of the pandemic. Access to food is a human right and this paper highlights the possibility of exploring an independent food system to address existing problems. © 2022 UPM Press. All rights reserved.

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on food security in Australia: A scoping review.

AIM: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the Australian food supply with potential ramifications on food security. This scoping review aimed to synthesise current evidence on the prevalence of food insecurity and changes to factors related to food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia. METHODS: A comprehensive search strategy was used to search seven databases (MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, Global Health, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, PsycINFO, Informit Online) and Google Scholar. Included studies were written in English, published in 2020-2021 and examined food security status in Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic and/or factors associated with food insecurity in free-living Australian residents. Articles with participants residing in institutional settings, where meals were supplied, were excluded. RESULTS: A total of 700 records were identified from database, grey literature and hand searching, and nine articles were included. All studies indicated that the prevalence of food insecurity had increased due to negative changes to food availability, accessibility, usability and stability. The downturn in employment and economic circumstances following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic appeared to create a new group of food-insecure Australians consisting of newly unemployed, and international students. CONCLUSION: COVID-19 has exacerbated vulnerabilities in the Australian food supply and food security. Suggested actions include ongoing data collection on the long-term impact of COVID-19 on food supply and security in addition to coordinated national and community responses that improve the stability of the local food supply and address underlying determinants of food insecurity.

[Changes in dietary behaviors and food-related accessibility issues and information needs during the COVID-19 pandemic: comparison based on household economic status].

Objective　This study aimed to assess the household income changes during COVID-19 pandemic among Japanese adults, and to evaluate how this was related to changes in dietary behaviors and food-related accessibility issues and information needs during the emergency period.Method　We conducted an online cross-sectional survey in July, 2020 among residents (aged 20-69 years) of the 13 prefectures under special confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were asked about their dietary behaviors before the pandemic (before February 2020) and during the confinement period (April-May 2020), as well as about their food-related accessibility issues and information needs during the confinement period. Data from 2,225 residents were analyzed. Participants were divided into three groups (decreased, unchanged, and increased) based on the household income changes due to COVID-19. Demographics, dietary behaviors, and food-related accessibility issues and information needs were then compared among these three groups. Multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to examine the effect of household income changes on dietary behavior changes, food-related accessibility issues, and food-related information needs, while adjusting for sociodemographic factors. Furthermore, the effect of household income changes and subjective economic status were also analyzed using multiple logistic regression analyses.Result　The participant distribution in each group were as follows: decreased (34.6%), unchanged (63.9%), and increased (1.6%). Higher proportion of those who were employed part-time, self-employed, or unemployed during the confinement period were found among the decreased group. The odds ratios (OR) of the decreased group were significantly higher than the unchanged group for lower frequency of eating out, and for higher frequency of home-cooking, consuming ready-to-eat convenience meals, and eating with children during the confinement period. Furthermore, regardless of the subjective economic status, the decreased group experienced difficulties in accessing required foods because of shortages and congestion in grocery stores, as well as increased prices. Additionally, food-related information needs regarding reduction of food expenses were also high among the decreased group.Conclusion　Participants with a decreased household income were more likely to experience difficulties with food accessibility and desire information about lowering food-related expenses. Furthermore, they reported lower frequency of eating out, and higher frequency of home-cooking and consuming ready-to-eat convenience meals during the confinement period than before the pandemic. Future studies should evaluate the direction (positive or negative) of these changed food consumption patterns.