Impact of Covid-19 on Household Food Waste: The Case of Italy.

Gioacchino Pappalardo,Wei Yang,Rodolfo M Nayga,Simone Cerroni

doi:10.3389/fnut.2020.585090

Abstract

Covid-19 has significantly affected people's food purchasing and consumption habits. Fears of disruptions in the food supply chain have caused an increase in the quantity and type of food bought by households. However, increases in food purchases could give rise to food waste with negative ramifications for the environment in terms of greenhouse emissions and groundwater pollution. To assess whether household food waste has changed during Covid-19 lockdown, we conducted a nationwide survey of household food purchasers in Italy. Although the amount of food purchases increased during the lockdown, our results show that food waste actually decreased as people mainly bought more non-perishable food. Interestingly, concerns about the impact that the pandemic could have on the waste management system and the desire not to add pressure to the waste management system are key drivers of decreased food waste in Italy during the pandemic. Our findings seem to suggest that Italian consumers are developing a new level of awareness about food waste with potential positive impacts on the environment in terms of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and groundwater pollution.

Highlights

Covid-19 has transformed people’s daily lives amid significant shifts in people’s behavior related to social distancing and stockpiling of essentials like food [1, 2]
Our findings indicate that Italian consumers have increased the amount of food purchases during the Covid-19 lockdown when people’s movements were severely restricted by the government to prevent the risk of contagion
Our study shows that in large families, food waste decreased during the lockdown, probably due to the fact that bigger households can better facilitate the re-use of leftovers [26]

Summary

Introduction

Covid-19 has transformed people’s daily lives amid significant shifts in people’s behavior related to social distancing and stockpiling of essentials like food [1, 2]. These behavioral changes may be fear-driven and due to widespread anxiety and considerable feeling of insecurity as conventional assumptions about the security of jobs, expected incomes, and the value of savings have been challenged [3, 4]. The experience of negative shocks may make people more risk-averse [5, 6] In this framework, Covid-19 has significantly affected people’s food purchasing and consumption habits. The constraints imposed by the lockdown and the fear of disruptions in the food supply chain have caused a change in purchasing behavior such as an increase in food stocks at home or the quantity and type of food bought [9]

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion