Abstract
The objective of this research was to look into the self-reported food consumption and wastage behavior in Brazil during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak and the motivations to prevent this waste. The data were collected during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in Brazil, May 2020, using a self-administered questionnaire with 60 questions on food consumption behavior and characterization of food waste behaviors. The target audience comprised Brazilian residents responsible for household food purchases; out of 489 responses, 458 were considered valid. The main findings reported that regarding consumption behavior, there are no significant differences in relation to gender, education, and age. The surveyed population preferred shopping in person, despite the recommendation of social distancing, and reported activities to avoid food waste. This behavior suggests the importance of information and consumers’ education in making purchases and reducing waste, mainly amidst a crisis. The results suggest that intention to reduce waste, routines of food purchase in sales and management routines of leftovers or uneaten food are positively related to reducing the economic value of food waste. As a practical contribution, this study expands the understanding in one Latin American country regarding food consumption and wastage. The theoretical contribution leads to understanding of the behavior in times of crisis such as a pandemic.
Highlights
On 30 December 2019, China notified the World Health Organization (WHO) about the emergence of the first two cases of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) [1]
The results indicate that 51.9% are individuals who “always” plan their food purchases during the pandemic using a shopping list, confirming previous studies [11,34]
This study mainly contributes to sustainable development with conclusions on: Food consumption: There were some changes associated with consumption behavior and food waste in Brazilian households
Summary
On 30 December 2019, China notified the World Health Organization (WHO) about the emergence of the first two cases of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) [1]. At the end of February 2020, Brazil registered the first case in Latin America [2]. In view of the increasing number of cases of the COVID-19 infection, countries began adopting different measures, seeking to avoid contamination as well as different challenges. In Brazil, the implementation of social isolation measures, which gained prominence in the last ten days of March, the paralysis of a wide range of productive activities and the fall in internal and external demands caused a strong retraction in the sector’s indicators [4]. It was not enough to control the spread of the virus and, in the third month of the COVID-19 pandemic, averages of 33,000 new cases and 974 deaths per day were registered, a variation of 2% on individual mobility in markets and pharmacies [5]. After 36 weeks the hundredth case was confirmed and the country’s response was considered the worst among 98 countries [5]
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