Home food procurement impacts food security and diet quality during COVID-19

Abstract

Background Home food procurement (HFP) (i.e. gardening, fishing, foraging, hunting, backyard livestock and canning) have historically been important ways that people obtain food. Recently, some HFP activities have grown (e.g. gardening), while other activities (e.g. hunting) have become less common in the United States. Anecdotally, COVID-19 has sparked an increase in HFP evidenced by increased hunting licenses and shortages in seeds and canning supplies. HFP may have positive benefits for food security and diet quality, though research beyond gardening is especially limited in high-income countries. Methods We examine HFP activities since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and their relationship to food security and dietary quality using multivariable logit models and matching analysis with a statewide representative survey (n = 600) of residents of Vermont, United States. Results We find 29% of respondent households classified as food insecure since COVID-19, and higher prevalence of food insecurity among those experiencing a negative job change since COVID-19, households earning less than $50,000 annually, Hispanic and multi-race respondents. Nearly 35% of respondents engaged in HFP activities since the COVID-19 pandemic began; the majority of those gardened, and more than half pursued HFP activities more intensely than before the pandemic or for the first time. Food insecure households were more likely to pursue HFP more intensely, including more gardening, fishing, foraging, and hunting. Respondents who were food insecure, Black, Indigenous, People of Color, those with a negative job disruption, and larger households all had greater odds of increased intensity of HFP during the COVID-19 pandemic. HFP was significantly associated with eating greater amounts of fruits and vegetables; however, this effect was only significant for food secure households. Conclusion Overall, these results suggest that HFP activities have increased since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and may be an important safety net for food insecure households. However, HFP for food insecure households does not translate into the same higher fruit and vegetable intake as found among food secure HFP households, suggesting this population may be trying to maintain intake, or that they may have potential important resource or technical assistance needs. Long-term, HFP activities may have important food security and diet quality impacts, as well as conservation implications, which should be more thoroughly explored. Regardless, the increased interest and intensity of HFP demonstrates opportunities for educational and outreach efforts.

Consumer experiences of food environments during the Covid-19 pandemic: Global insights from a rapid online survey of individuals from 119 countries

“…Conversely, some respondents in our study reported eating more fruits and vegetables, aligning with early evidence from Germany, Denmark (quota-based sample) ( Janssen et al, 2021 ), Australia (convenience sample) ( Eat Well Tasmania, 2020 ), Italy (convenience sample) ( Di Renzo et al, 2020b ), and Spain (convenience sample) ( Rodríguez-Pérez et al, 2020 ), suggesting that the relatively consistent supply of fresh produce in some countries, combined with strong social safety nets, may result in increased consumption by consumers motivated to adopt healthier habits. Interestingly, a state wide representative study in the USA demonstrated that some food insecure households actually increased fruit and vegetable intake during the pandemic due to utilisation of food aid ( Bertmann et al, 2021 ) and home food self-sufficiency (e.g., gardening, fishing, foraging, and hunting) ( Niles et al, 2021b ). Disparate changes in dietary intake in more developed countries ( Di Renzo et al, 2020b ; Giacalone et al, 2020 ; Janssen et al, 2021 ; León and Arguello, 2021 ; UNICEF, 2020 ) also implies that heightened stress, emotional eating and variations in food literacy skills may underscore contrasting changes in eating behaviors ( Bemanian et al, 2021 ; Bhutani and Cooper, 2020 ; Di Renzo et al, 2020a ).…”

“…While there is a range of literature regarding changes in food supply ( Chenarides et al, 2020 ; Priyadarshini and Abhilash, 2021 ; Tesfaye et al, 2020 ), food security ( Ceballos et al, 2021 ; Egger et al, 2021 ; Laborde et al, 2021 ; Niles et al, 2020b ; Sharma et al, 2020 ), and food consumption ( Enriquez-Martinez et al, 2021 ; Janssen et al, 2021 ; León and Arguello, 2021 ; Maredia, 2020 ; Niles et al, 2021b ) during Covid-19, very few studies have assessed the impact of the pandemic on consumer food behaviors through a food environment lens. To our knowledge, there is only one multi-country food environment study that was conducted by the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN) ( FAO, 2020 ).…”

The Impact of COVID-19 on Horticulture: Critical Issues and Opportunities Derived from an Unexpected Occurrence

“…Lades et al [60] reported gardening to be one of the most effective activities for mitigating the negative effects of social isolation due to COVID-19 on people's emotional well-being. As shown by Niles et al [61] and Montefrio [57], home food procurement from gardening and foraging had spread during the pandemic, with positive benefits for food security and diet quality. It is known that growing one's own produce is linked to an increase in fruit and vegetable intake.…”

Garden Access, Race and Vegetable Acquisition among U.S. Adults: Findings from a National Survey

“…Since then, the global COVID-19 pandemic has impacted aspects of food acquisition and created economic challenges. There is some evidence that this has resulted in increased gardening and home food production [52]. More recent data collection on the measures analyzed here would further understand the relationship between gardening and vegetable acquisition in the current context.…”