COVID-19′s First Wave: Examination of Impact on Food Purchasing Behaviour in the Eurozone

Abstract

COVID-19 has had a negative impact on the living conditions of people in all countries worldwide. With a devastating economic crisis where many families are finding it difficult to pay bills and make ends meet, increases in prices of food basket staples can be very worrying. This study examines the relationship between the incidence of the pandemic during the first wave in 16 Eurozone countries with the variation experienced in food prices. We analysed the harmonised index of consumer food prices (included in HICP) and the classification of the degree of pandemic impact by country, the latter established with the index of deaths provided by the Johns Hopkins Center. The procedure used compared actual food prices during the first wave (March to June 2020) with those foreseeable in the absence of the pandemic. Time series analysis was used, dividing the research period into two phases. In both phases, the Holt–Winters model was applied for estimation and subsequent prediction. After a contrast using Kendall’s tau correlation index, it was concluded that in the countries with the highest death rates during the first wave, there was a higher increase in food prices than in the least affected countries of the Eurozone.

Preparing for the Worst? Household Food Stockpiling during the Second Wave of COVID-19 in Serbia

“…Panic buying and stockpiling were shaped by several factors, including sociodemographic factors (e.g., culture, income, gender, and personality). This compulsive buying has several adverse effects, such as increasing food prices [16], food wastage, and stock out [17], and exacerbates overconsumption (cf. obesity) and unequal food access for some vulnerable groups (e.g., poor, elderly) [18][19][20].…”

Decline in Share Prices of Energy and Fuel Companies on the Warsaw Stock Exchange as a Reaction to the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…The first wave had a major impact on the world economy. The scope of this impact was very wide, e.g., poverty [31], food purchasing behaviour [32], increase in food prices [33], decline in sales of goods and services [34]. The supply of electricity during such a difficult period is an essential service and of course interruptions cannot be allowed [35].…”

Effects and Implications of COVID-19 for the Human Senses, Consumer Preferences, Appetite and Eating Behaviour: Volume I

“…The aim of this Special Issue was, for the first time, to bring together researchers with key insights on how COVID-19 has impacted appetite and eating behaviours, from the fundamental to the applicable, as assessed by human sensory perception and behaviour [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ].…”

“…Moreover, we requested the inclusion of a range of research from fundamental effects on the senses, to changes in consumer preferences all the way to how and why COVID-19 has changed consumer behaviours in relation to food and eating in the longer term [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ].…”

“…The articles included have been categorized based on their core aims and findings, and they cover research in relation to COVID-19 and the senses in four key areas, with respect to appetite and eating behaviour [ 6 , 7 , 8 ], food choice and preference [ 9 , 10 , 11 ], the perception of food risk and safety, [ 12 , 13 , 14 ] and finally to the effects on purchasing behaviour during and after the initial waves of the COVID-19 pandemic [ 15 , 16 , 17 ]. This collection of articles is, in essence, a time capsule of the wide focus and importance of sensory and consumer science in the COVID-19 space thus far, and its highlighting of effects on societies senses, eating practices and behaviours.…”