Abstract
IntroductionConsumer food procurement during the COVID-19 pandemic has been understudied. This investigation aimed to longitudinally evaluate food procurement patterns, concern of virus exposure in grocery retailers, and food access challenges over the pandemic among a sample of households in Quebec, Canada.MethodsOnline surveys were collected at three time points of the pandemic: first wave in spring 2020 (lockdown period), summer 2020 (deconfinement period), and second wave in winter 2021 (curfew period). Respondents were the household's primary grocery shopper (n = 491). Non-parametric tests and multivariable logistic regression were conducted to compare responses over time and to evaluate characteristics of respondents who regularly used no-contact grocery methods (store pick-up or home delivery).ResultsFrequency of in-store grocery shopping was lowest during the lockdown (once per week or less), and significantly increased over time to resemble pre-pandemic frequency. Concern of virus exposure in grocery retailers and disinfection/discarding of food packaging was highest during the lockdown, but significantly decreased over time. At all time points, use of public transit, walking or cycling for grocery shopping was associated with regular use of no-contact grocery methods (curfew odds ratio (OR): 3.13 (95% confidence interval 1.60, 6.14). Age (60 years+) was associated with regular use during the lockdown [OR: 2.27 (1.13, 4.59)].ConclusionAmong our sample, frequency of in-store grocery shopping was lowest and concern of virus exposure in stores was highest during the lockdown period. No-contact grocery use was associated with transportation mode and potentially with personal risk perception (age).
Highlights
Consumer food procurement during the COVID-19 pandemic has been understudied
We evaluated the following two hypotheses: [1] In-store grocery shopping frequency would be lowest at the lockdown period and return to pre-pandemic patterns by the end of the investigation, reflecting consumer adaptation to the public health situation over time; and [2] Sociodemographic characteristics of regular users of nocontact grocery methods would be stable across time points, reflecting consumer preference for this grocery method [12]
The proportion of respondents who reported that grocery shopping was done by more than one member of the household increased and the proportion who reported never going in-store grocery shopping decreased after the lockdown period (Supplementary Table 5)
Summary
Consumer food procurement during the COVID-19 pandemic has been understudied. This investigation aimed to longitudinally evaluate food procurement patterns, concern of virus exposure in grocery retailers, and food access challenges over the pandemic among a sample of households in Quebec, Canada. Despite the rapid increase in no-contact grocery methods including store pick-up and home delivery, few investigations have evaluated consumer experiences with these methods and other outcomes related to food procurement. This investigation used online surveys to longitudinally examine household grocery shopping frequency and method (in-store vs no-contact), concerns over virus exposure in grocery stores and through grocery products, food access challenges, and indicators of food insecurity over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic among a convenience sample of households in the province of Quebec, Canada
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