U.S. household food acquisition behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic

Ellison, Brenna; Ocepek, Melissa G.; Kalaitzandonakes, Maria

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0271522

Cited by 16 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 12 publications

(13 reference statements)

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“…Interestingly, a substantial number of our respondents had no prior experience with online grocery shopping and grocery pickup services. This differs from previous studies reporting an upward trend in these services [ 19 , 32 , 38 ]. Our study participants were mostly individuals ranging from ages 18–24 years.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

Changes in food purchase, consumption and handling during COVID-19 pandemic among single person households

Antwi,

Olawuyi,

Bain

et al. 2023

PLoS ONE

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Objective As a new type of consumer subject in the market that was formerly dominated by multiple person families, single households are driving the change in the buying structure. Food purchase activities have undergone significant changes since the outbreak of the COVID‐19. The objective of this study was to assess and compare variations in food consumption, purchase and handling during the COVID-19 pandemic between single person households (SPH) and multiple person households. Method A cross-sectional study conducted among 211 individuals in communities in Harris and Waller Counties, Texas. Sociodemographic, food purchase, food consumption and food handling activities during the COVID-19 pandemic were assessed with a validated COVID-19 Nutrition questionnaire. Results Non-Hispanic Black participants constituted 42.6%, and 28.4% were Hispanics. Participants were made up of mostly aged 18–24 years (39.3%), 47.9% single household composition, 30.4% in full time employment, and 29.1% partook in food assistance programs. A large proportion of them had never used grocery pickup services, online grocery shopping and a farmers’ market. During the COVID-19 pandemic, majority of the participants used more of large supermarkets, restaurant/fast food, and online grocery but food consumption seemed to remain the same for the majority of participants. For beverages, majority of participants consumed more water, less soda, and no alcohol. There was a significant association between single person household and higher restaurant/fast foods purchase. Many of the participants reported weight gain and less physical activity during the pandemic. Conclusion Restaurant meal purchases was more prevalent in single-person families. The results from the study have the potential to contribute to how public policy officials, food service, and health authorities forecast how different categories of consumers will react in pandemics and may be used to inform area-specific alleviation strategies to minimize the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and future events.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

Changes in food purchase, consumption and handling during COVID-19 pandemic among single person households

Antwi,

Olawuyi,

Bain

et al. 2023

PLoS ONE

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show abstract

“…Early in the pandemic, many consumers were fearful of shopping for groceries in person, resulting in greater demand of online shopping and delivery (Chenarides et al., 2021; Ellison et al., 2021; Grashuis et al., 2020). While data from later in the pandemic (e.g., Ellison & Ocepek, 2020) suggest that consumers are returning to grocery shopping in person, their distaste for this activity may remain or have even increased––making a JIT approach even less desirable for some consumers. However, a JIT approach may be easier to implement with online shopping options.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is it more convenient to waste? Trade‐offs between grocery shopping and waste behaviors

Ellison

Fan

Wilson

2022

Agricultural Economics

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Efforts to reduce food loss and waste are being made across the supply chain, with households targeted as one of the most wasteful nodes in the chain. In this article, we consider the impact of changing one household food management behavior: grocery shopping. Households that shop more frequently typically incur less food waste. This has resulted in a call for households to adopt a just-in-time (JIT) grocery shopping approach, taking smaller trips to the store more frequently. While households may be able to reduce food waste by adopting a JIT shopping approach, their willingness to shop more frequently is less clear. The purpose of this research is to examine the trade-offs between grocery shopping frequency and food waste behaviors among U.S. households. We employ a choice experiment to determine whether consumers are willing to reduce waste by adopting a JIT shopping approach. We explore heterogeneity across households and consider the potential welfare impacts associated with moving to a JIT model of shopping. Our results indicate that, on average, consumers were averse to adding extra shopping trips to their weekly grocery shopping routines and would need to be compensated to do so (mean: $24/week for one extra trip). Consumers would need to see approximately a 12 percentage point reduction in waste to be indifferent to adding one shopping trip to their weekly routine. Spending more to waste less resulted in more welfare gains, on average, yet there is significant heterogeneity in grocery shopping preferences.

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“…Key informants noted greater food assistance through churches, schools and food banks, as well as greater ease of grocery shopping through new delivery/phone-orders made available during the pandemic. Other studies also demonstrated greater access to food assistance programmes ( 34 ) , as well as a shift to less risky food purchasing behaviours such as shopping online ( 35 ) . Combined, these data indicate additional sources of resilience in remote Alaskan communities, some of which were supported through additional Federal, State and local funding, as well as adaptation of local grocery stores to meet the food needs of residents ( 35 ) .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

‘Remoteness was a blessing, but also a potential downfall’: traditional/subsistence and store-bought food access in remote Alaska during the COVID-19 pandemic

Fried

Hahn

Cochran

et al. 2023

Public Health Nutr.

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Objective: This study employs a strengths-based approach to assess food access in remote Alaska during the COVID-19 pandemic, identifying both the negative consequences of the pandemic on store-bought and subsistence/traditional food access as well as compensatory strategies used. Design: As a part of a larger study on the impacts of COVID-19 on daily life remote Alaska communities, study data presented here were collected through key informant interviews (KIIs) and statewide online surveys from September 21, 2020 to March 31, 2021 among remote Alaska community members. Setting: This study was conducted with residents of remote communities in Alaska, defined as those off of the road system. Remote communities often have small or no grocery stores, and rely on subsistence or traditional sources of food. Participants: KII participants (n=36) were majority female (78%) and Alaska Native (57%). Survey participants (n=615) were also majority female, 25-54 years old, and most had had some post-secondary education or training. Results: Survey and interview data revealed that the pandemic had significant negative impacts on store-bought food access in remote Alaskan communities. Individuals also shared that locally available and wild harvested foods acted as a buffer to some of the loss of access to these store-bought foods, with some people sharing that the harvesting of wild and traditional foods served served as a coping strategy during times of pandemic-related stress. Conclusions: The results from this study demonstrate that the remoteness of some Alaska communities has been both a source of vulnerability and protection in terms food access.

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U.S. household food acquisition behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic

Cited by 16 publications

References 12 publications

Changes in food purchase, consumption and handling during COVID-19 pandemic among single person households

Changes in food purchase, consumption and handling during COVID-19 pandemic among single person households

Is it more convenient to waste? Trade‐offs between grocery shopping and waste behaviors

‘Remoteness was a blessing, but also a potential downfall’: traditional/subsistence and store-bought food access in remote Alaska during the COVID-19 pandemic

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