The Covid-19 pandemic and food consumption at home and away: An exploratory study of English households

doi:10.1016/j.seps.2021.101125

Socio-Economic Planning Sciences

Volume 82, Part A, August 2022, 101125

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seps.2021.101125 Get rights and content

Highlights

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Increased cooking at home during Covid-19 has increased household food waste.
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Healthy eating and local food have increased their appeal.
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Consumer intention to eat out is subject to restaurants adopting a range of measures.
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These measures relate to health and hygiene, but also business operations re-design.
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Sustainability attributes of the food served in restaurants are considered unimportant.

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic has changed attitudes of English households towards food consumption at home and when eating out. Little academic research has however examined the scope and the scale of these changes, especially in the context of foodservice provision. This mixed methods study explores the effect of Covid-19 on food consumption in English households at home and away. It reveals increased frequency and variety of cooking during lockdown as a driver of household food wastage. The study demonstrates public hesitance towards eating out post-Covid-19. Foodservice providers are expected to re-design their business settings and adopt protective and preventative measures, such as frequent cleaning and routine health checks, to encourage visitation. After the pandemic, increased preference towards consuming (more) sustainable food at home, but not when eating out, is established. These insights can aid grocery and foodservice providers in offering more tailored products and services in a post-pandemic future.

Keywords

Covid-19

Household food consumption

Grocery retail

Restaurant

Healthy eating

Food waste

Cited by (0)

Viachaslau Filimonau is Principal Lecturer in Hospitality Management in the Faculty of Management at Bournemouth University, UK. His research interests include the challenges of food (in)security and environmental management in tourism and hospitality operations. He is particularly interested in the problem of food waste and its management across all segments of the global food supply chain.

Le Hong Vi is a Postgraduate Student at Bournemouth University, UK, with research interest in food consumption and hospitality management.

Sean Beer is a Senior Lecturer in Agriculture in the Bournemouth University Business School, UK. His research interests include issues relating to sustainability and Food and Drink supply chains, particularly in relation to local food production and consumption.

Vladimir A. Ermolaev is Professor of the Department of Commodity Science and Expertise in Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, Russia. His research interests include the challenges of food (in)security. He is particularly interested in the problem of food waste, dairy production, drying technology, and food cold storage technology.

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