No social distancing from food: How the COVID-19 pandemic shaped student food-related activities in the Western Balkans.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has influenced food preparation and consumption habits, as well as food wastage. The pandemic also affected the lives of university students worldwide; their learning and living environments changed, influencing their eating habits. AIM: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic on students' food-related activities in four countries in the Western Balkans: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, North Macedonia, and Montenegro. METHODS: The research draws upon an online survey gathered through the SurveyMonkey platform in four Balkan countries-viz. Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, North Macedonia, and Montenegro-and used a structured questionnaire. The information was collected during the second wave of COVID-19 in October-November 2020. A total of 1658 valid responses were received. Descriptive statistics and nonparametric tests were used to analyze the survey findings. RESULTS: The research results suggest that the pandemic influenced students' food purchase habits, diets, and food-related behaviors and practices such as food preparation, cooking, and food waste management at the household level. In particular, students have been eating healthier and shopping less frequently during the pandemic. Meanwhile, the pandemic improved their attitude toward food wastage. CONCLUSION: This study is the first to examine how students in the Balkan region perceive the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their eating habits, laying the groundwork for future studies into the disease's consequences. This and other studies will assist in preparing students and education institutions for future calamities and pandemics. The findings will also help develop evidence-based postpandemic recovery options targeting youth and students in the Western Balkans.

Research on food loss and waste in the Western Balkans: A systematic review.

Food losses and waste (FLW) is considered a critical issue in the ongoing debate on the sustainability of agri-food systems. However, the scholarly literature on FLW is still geographically-biased, with more attention devoted to developed countries, even in Europe. In this context, this article analyses the state of research on FLW in the Western Balkan region (viz. Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia). A search performed in October 2021 on the Web of Science database returned 34 documents, and 21 eligible ones were included in the systematic review. The topical analysis of the literature addressed causes of FLW, stages of the food supply chain, extent and magnitude of FLW, FLW and food security, economic and environmental impacts of FLW, and food waste (FW) management strategies. A central finding was the scarcity of data on FW in the Western Balkans. Moreover, the literature focused on FW at the consumer level, while food loss at other stages of the food chain was generally overlooked. There is a lack of comprehensive analyses of the economic and environmental impacts of FLW as well as its implications in terms of food and nutrition security. The quantification of FLW is generally inaccurate and based on estimates and self-reported data. The literature focuses on FW reuse and recycling (e.g., energy, compost) while other management strategies (e.g., reduction/prevention, redistribution) are rarely addressed. However, the results indicated that consumers in the Western Balkans pay attention to the FW issue, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is an encouraging sign that can be exploited in awareness-raising campaigns and education activities. Meanwhile, research on FLW in the Western Balkans is highly needed to fill the identified knowledge gap and provide evidence to policies dealing with the transition to sustainable food systems in the region.

Gendered Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Food Behaviors in North Africa: Cases of Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia.

The COVID-19 pandemic-related measures in the Near East and North Africa (NENA) region have resulted in many lifestyle modifications, including changes in diet and food buying patterns among adults. However, the pandemic has impacted women and men differently and exacerbated existing socio-economic and gender inequalities. Indeed, numerous studies conducted worldwide have shown that the COVID-19 pandemic had a disproportionately negative impact on women compared to males. Therefore, this paper aims to analyze the effects of COVID-19 on women's food behaviors in three countries of the North Africa sub-region, namely, Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia. The study was based on an online poll conducted by SurveyMonkey from 15 September to 5 November 2020, with 995 participants. The outcomes of the research found that when compared to men, (1) women tend to consume more food out of fear, anxiety, or boredom; (2) women prefer to eat more unhealthy food; (3) women tend to stockpile a greater amount of food; and (4) women tend to modify their shopping habits more often. The findings should inform gender-sensitive strategies and policies to address the negative impacts of the pandemic and foster transition towards healthier diets and resilient food systems during the recovery period.

Assessment of household food waste management during the COVID-19 pandemic in Serbia: a cross-sectional online survey.

The Serbian government has taken several measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. These measures may have led to a disruption of daily life and affected food-related behaviors. This paper investigates the state of food waste management in Serbia and COVID-19's direct effect on consumer awareness, food consumption, and food waste behaviors. The study is based on an online survey using a structured questionnaire administered in Serbian from May 13 until June 13, 2020, through the Google forms platform. A total of 1212 valid answers were collected, mainly from female, young, and high-educated people. The survey results suggested that (i) household food waste in Serbia is low and there is a positive attitude toward food waste prevention; (ii) food waste increased during the COVID-19 pandemic; (iii) consumers reduced the number of shopping trips and shopped more than usual during the pandemic. This study contributes to a better understanding of consumers' consumption habits and attitudes toward food waste to prevent and reduce it.

Food purchase and eating behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional survey of Russian adults.

The Russian government took strong containment measures to prevent the spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) with rigid hygiene protocols and restrictions on daily living, such as social distancing and closing businesses and schools. While these measures were crucial to stop the diffusion of SARS-CoV-2, numerous voices highlighted their disorderly psychological, social, and economic impacts on food consumption behavior and lifestyle. Therefore, this paper aims to understand how consumers' food-related habits in Russia have shifted due to the COVID-19 pandemic and potential problems and opportunities this might bring for the Russian food system. The study is based on an online cross-sectional survey using a structured questionnaire administered in Russian through the Survey Monkey platform. A total of 1297 valid answers was collected. The results reveal that diet and food shopping, preparation, and use have been widely affected. Indeed, the survey results suggested (i) a change in the modality of acquiring food, consumers reduced the number of shopping trips and buying more on each trip to minimize store visits; (ii) a surge of stockpiling of non-perishable food items; (iii) a shift toward healthier diets; (iv) an increase in culinary capabilities; (v) a decrease of food waste. The results are expected to inform current emergency plans as well as long-term food-related strategies in Russia.

Observations on Food Consumption Behaviors During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Oman.

This paper aims to study the perceptions of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on behaviors related to diet and food shopping on a sample of 356 adults in Oman. The study is based on the results of an Arabic-language online survey conducted between September 15 and October 10, 2020, using the Survey Monkey platform. The questionnaire had 25 questions (multiple options and one option), subdivided into three parts. Respondents were asked to disseminate the survey to their networks as part of the study's snowball sampling method. Descriptive statistics and various statistical tests (e.g., U-Mann Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis, chi-square) have been used to evaluate the study results. The study showed a significant shift in the attitude and behavior of respondents regarding food and health. Indeed, the paper findings indicated (i) a shift to healthier diets, as shown by the fact that 45.5% of the participants increased their intake of fruits and vegetables, 42.4% ate more healthy foods, and 53.1% reduced their intake of unhealthy foods; (ii) an increase in the consumption of local products, owing to food safety concerns, with 25.8% of the cohort stating that they purchase more local food items; (iii) a shift in grocery shopping behaviors, especially with 28.1% of the participants buying more groceries online; (iv) the absence of panic buying in Oman, since 62.36% of the participants said they did not stockpile food items; and (v) a reduction of food waste. Indeed, 78.9% of the participants specified they were not wasting more food than average since the beginning of the pandemic, and 74.72% indicated they were more aware of how much food they were wasting. Surprisingly, COVID-19 appears to bring many beneficial adjustments in Oman to make food consumption more sustainable and healthier.

Pesticide waste disposal among farmers of Moghan region of Iran: current trends and determinants of behavior.

Unsafe disposal of pesticide waste at farms has serious consequences for the environment and public health. Investigation of disposal behavior of farmers towards pesticide waste after use helps to identify and improve their behavior. This study aimed to investigate how farmers dispose pesticide waste in Moghan area of Iran and factors influencing their behavior. A sample of 400 farmers, using multistage random sampling, was selected. Most respondents threw the empty pesticide containers into the general garbage, sold them to waste buyers or other farmers, threw them into irrigation canals, or dumped them at the farm. However, the majority of the farmers did not use the empty pesticide containers for home use (78.5%), nor did they send containers to recycling or pesticide supplying centers (84.1%). Almost half of the farmers (49.2%) had low awareness of pesticide risks. Married farmers, farmers who were happy with farming, farmers who had additional occupation, and farmers who had received training in integrated pest management (IPM) behaved more safely (P < 0.05) in pesticide waste disposal. Also, participants with academic degrees behaved more safely (P < 0.05) in pesticide waste disposal. Based on regression analysis, awareness of pesticide risks, spraying experience, distance to agriculture service center, and distance to the city accounted for 46% of farmers' variation in pesticide waste disposal behavior. Farmers' behavior in pesticide waste disposal after use is a critical point for reducing pesticide exposure and environmental contamination in Moghan region of Iran. Awareness creation and behavioral change communication are required to improve farmers' attitudes towards disposal of pesticide waste along with training in IPM which minimizes pesticide use.

RETRACTED: Use of personal protective equipment towards pesticide exposure: Farmers' attitudes and determinants of behavior.

This article has been retracted: please see Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal (https://www.elsevier.com/about/our-business/policies/article-withdrawal). This article has been retracted at the request of the Editors-in-Chief. After a thorough investigation, the Editors have concluded that the acceptance of this article was partly based upon the positive advice of one illegitimate reviewer report. The report was submitted from an email account which was provided by the corresponding author C.A. Damalas as a suggested reviewer during the submission of the article. Although purportedly a real reviewer account, the Editors have concluded that this was not of an appropriate, independent reviewer. This manipulation of the peer-review process represents a clear violation of the fundamentals of peer review, our publishing policies, and publishing ethics standards. Apologies are offered to the reviewer whose identity was assumed and to the readers of the journal that this deception was not detected during the submission process.

An examination of soil and water conservation practices in the paddy fields of Guilan province, Iran.

This study examined the use of soil and water conservation (SWC) practices among rice farmers in Iran. A random sample of 400 rice paddy farmers in the Foumanat plain of Guilan province, who use SWC measures, was drawn from a population of 52 thousand farmers. A two-part questionnaire was used to examine the level of utilization of SWC practices and to profile paddy farmers. Internal consistency was demonstrated with a coefficient alpha of 0.76, and the content and face validity of the instrument was confirmed by a panel of soil and water experts. Descriptive and analytical statistics were used to analyze the data. Results of ANOVA indicated that the mean levels of SWC practices vary considerably at the 0.01 level of significance by groups of age, education, non-agricultural income, production costs, yield, cultivated paddies and distance from home to the farm or to the main road. Similarly, significant differences were observed by groups of family size, rice production, ownership of livestock and profits from rice production at 0.05 level. The levels of experience in agriculture and ownership of poultry were found to have no significant effects on SWC practices.