By Luisa Kate Shield –
In 2021, Laborde et al published an article in Agricultural Economics [1] that showed the severity the COVID-19 pandemic had on food security and global diets. Changes in global food consumption have been evident since the COVID-19 pandemic began, this is due to three main reasons: changes in household incomes, and changes in the price and availability of food products. [1]
Where it all began… stockpiling and empty supermarket shelves. Troubling scenes of empty supermarket shelves were seen in Western countries at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, as seen in Figure 1. Large supermarkets normally run efficiently by having relatively low stock but a continuous product flow, supermarkets anticipate increases in sales around holidays so increase supplies at the relevant times.[2] Naturally, an unexpected pandemic didn’t allow time to plan and prepare. In addition to cafés, restaurants and schools closing and the sudden stockpiling behaviours this caused an exponential growth in demand causing depleted stock levels. [3]
Figure 1: A scene that was not unfamiliar at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic to shoppers, as people engaged in panic buying and stockpiling of essentials. Eneas De Troya from Mexico City, México, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Economic impacts of COVID-19 on our consumption habits. As COVID-19 spread globally the social and economic impacts of the pandemic became even more prevalent, leading to a rapid increase in the percentage of people experiencing food insecurity. Food insecurity is when someone doesn’t have access to healthy and safe food that is required to live an active, healthy life.[5] 928 million people were food insecure in 2020 this was 148 million more than in 2019 [4] with those residing in urban areas more impacted by COVID-19 and food insecurity than those in rural areas, this is caused by rural areas having a lower rate of transmission due to a lower population density. [1]
There were two main responses to low stocked supermarkets, those that were financially able to, bought produce from small scale local suppliers. However, this was not an option for many people. The International Labour Organization’s report in September 2020 showed that working hour losses were higher than previously estimated due to the pandemic. Working hours worldwide decreased by 17% (this is equivalent to nearly 500 million full time jobs lost). [3] This caused an increase in the use of food banks throughout 2020. [4]
Have our diets changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic? In terms of nutritional value, the changes to our diets have been for the worse. A decrease in the consumption of fruit, vegetables, dairy and meat was reported – this is shown in Figure 2. [1] Due to social distancing measures, it is the labour-intensive products which were most affected during the COVID-19 pandemic, this includes perishable fruits, vegetables, meat and dairy. These items experienced losses on average of 5%. [1] The distribution of these products was disrupted due to travel restrictions in 2020. [4] Therefore, it isn’t a coincidence that undernourishment increased by 1.5% in 2020 after remaining stable for the past five years. [4]
The COVID-19 pandemic is a stark warning for the future of food security, the major factors that affect food security (economies, global crises and natural disasters) often have a cyclic nature so food insecurity will continue to occur and even worsen if no action is put in place. [4]
Figure 2: Chart illustrating the global changes in diet and the impact this will have on nutrition across the globe [1].
References and further reading
- Laborde, D., Martin, W. and Vos, R. (2021) Impacts of COVID-19 on global poverty, food security and diets: Insights from global model scenario analysis. Agricultural economics 2021; 52:375-390
- Hobbs, J. (2020) Food supply chains during the Covid-19 pandemic. Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics 2020; 68: 171-176
- International Labour Organization (2020) COVID-19 and the world of work. Sixth Edition Updated Estimates and Analysis https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/—dgreports/—dcomm/documents/briefingnote/wcms_755910.pdf [26/11/21]
- Food and agriculture organisation of the United Nations (2021) The state of food security and nutrition in the world 2021 https://www.fao.org/3/cb4474en/online/cb4474en.html [26/11/21]
- Food and agriculture organisation of the United Nations (2020) Hunger and food insecurity https://www.fao.org/hunger/en/ [28/11/21]
