COVID-19 and Food Shopping: Results from California and Comparisons with China and South Korea

Abstract

AbstractFollowing the first stay-at-home order in March 2020, many Californians responded with panic buying: they stocked up on masks, and hoarded toilet paper, hand sanitizer, canned food, bread, and pasta. Restaurants had to stop on-site dining services, and some even closed permanently. Californians adapted to the evolving restrictions imposed by the pandemic by switching to alternative channels for their groceries and experimenting with meal deliveries from participating restaurants. The purpose of this chapter is to analyze the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on how Californians shopped for groceries and prepared meals before and during the pandemic based on a random survey of 1,026 Californians conducted at the end of May 2021. To better contextualize observed changes in California, we also investigated grocery and prepared meals purchases in China and South Korea, two countries at the forefront of online grocery shopping and meal deliveries that provide a window into possible alternative futures for e-grocery and meal deliveries in California. We conclude by reflecting on how our increasing dependence on online grocery shopping and meal deliveries may impact travel.