Romanian consumer behaviour regarding pasta consumption during the COVID 19 pandemic

ABSTRACT

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated lockdowns, many events occurred, such as supply chain disruption, shielding and working from home restrictions along with diminished incomes and people's extra time spent in their own homes;all these have led to broad changes in consumer attitudes and behaviour. Therefore, people spent more time at home in all countries, and there was a significant increase in the number of people who enjoyed experiencing cooking at home, having a regular schedule for their meals. Pasta represents one of the most consumed food products in the world, their consumption increasing from year to year, experiencing a boost demand during the pandemic, because it has many important advantages such as low cost, easy to cook, high nutritional value and long shelf life. Properly cooked pasta has a low potential to increase blood sugar, it slows down digestion and give a feeling of satiety for a longer period. The purpose of this study was to obtain information on consumer perceptions towards pasta consumption in order to develop new products that are adapted to current consumer requirements and preferences.