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

Abstract

Stockpiling and panic buying are significant components of crisis- and disaster-related consumption behaviors that have gained significant media coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper aims to analyze the features of stockpiling behavior during the second wave of COVID-19 in Serbia based on a structured online questionnaire. This study seeks to answer two questions. First, what factors triggered and affected stockpiling during the COVID-19 pandemic in Serbia? Second, how does stockpiling affect other food habits and diets? A total of 851 valid responses were received. The results highlight several features of the stockpiling behavior in Serbia. First, food stockpiling behavior is influenced by some sociodemographic variables such as gender and household composition. Second, stockpiling was fueled by several negative emotions such as fear, sadness, and depression. Third, the results confirm that stockpiling in Serbia was not triggered by supply shortages but rather by consumers’ concerns of obtaining enough food and rising food prices. Finally, food stockpiling was associated with some positive changes such as eating out less (e.g., restaurants/cafeteria), eating more with their family members, and cooking more food. Analyzing and comprehending consumer food stockpiling patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic may offer policymakers imperative information for adjusting supply and response strategies during future crises.

What is known and what is unknown about food buying and consumption behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic? A systematic literature review

“…The increase in unavoidable food waste (e.g. bones, eggshells, fruit skin, coffee filters) was the direct consequence of consumers cooking more often at home, dining less at restaurants and cafeterias, shopping less frequently and buying more per shopping trip (Ben Hassen et al , 2021a; Dumitras et al , 2021). Such a phenomenon might not have turned into an overall escalation in food waste during the pandemic but has certainly increased household leftovers.…”

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

“…The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has affected people’s lives and habits. Some of these behavioral and attitudinal shifts impacted food shopping [ 6 , 7 ], diet [ 8 , 9 ], and food safety attitudes [ 10 ], as well as food waste [ 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 ]. Further, the pandemic has amplified pre-existing economic weaknesses and brought new challenges by lowering incomes, as many people lost their jobs, and were faced with rising food prices and restricted food accessibility, which increased the challenge of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) [ 16 ].…”

Effects of COVID-19 pandemic on household food waste behaviour in Iran

“…The questionnaire was developed and adapted based on previous studies on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on food-related activities, including food waste performed in the MENA (Middle East North Africa) region ( Ben Hassen et al., 2021e ; Ben Hassen et al., 2022a , Ben Hassen et al., 2022b ; El Bilali et al., 2021a ), and the Balkans ( Ben Hassen et al., 2021b , Ben Hassen et al., 2021c ; Berjan et al., 2021 ). For the Iranian context, the questionnaire was translated into Persian.…”