Impacts of the Pandemic, Animal Source Food Retailers' and Consumers' Knowledge and Attitudes toward COVID-19, and Their Food Safety Practices in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Aug 17;19(16):10187. doi: 10.3390/ijerph191610187.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic affected the food supply chain, retailers, and consumers owing to infection awareness. This study evaluated the impacts COVID-19 on ASF retailers' businesses and consumers' livelihoods, as well as their knowledge toward the disease, attitudes, and food safety practices to prevent infections. The study includes a cross-sectional component that was conducted in urban/peri-urban (U/PU) and rural areas in Chiang Mai province. In another part of the study, a structured questionnaire was developed for animal source food (ASF) retailers and consumers, with three primary parts for data analysis: general information, COVID-19 impacts, and knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) assessment. Data corresponding to three periods of interest (before the COVID-19 outbreak, during partial lockdown, and present) were gathered and analyzed. In this study, 155 retailers and 150 consumers participated, of which the majority of the respondents were female (70.3% and 82.7%, respectively) with average ages of 47.4 and 44.9 years, respectively. The most noticeable effect of COVID-19 was a decline in income for retailers and consumers. The KAP scores of consumers in both areas were not significantly different, whereas the retailer attitudes toward COVID-19 prevention and food safety practices scored more highly in rural areas than in U/PU. During the partial lockdown, food safety practices significantly improved relative to the time preceding the outbreak, and these practices have remained constant to the present day. The results revealed that gender, age group, business type, and type of ASF retailers were associated with the KAP of the retailers, whereas gender, age group, education, number of family members, and occupation were associated with the KAP of the consumers. Our findings provide in-depth information about the effects of COVID-19 on ASF retailers and consumers, as well as their KAP regarding the outbreak and food safety, which may serve as support in developing policies for improved health and food safety.

Keywords: COVID-19; KAP; Thailand; animal source food; consumer; food; meat; retailer.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • COVID-19* / epidemiology
  • COVID-19* / prevention & control
  • Communicable Disease Control
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Female
  • Food Safety
  • Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Occupations
  • Pandemics* / prevention & control
  • Thailand

Grants and funding

This research was funded by the CGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH), the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), and the Veterinary Public Health and Food Safety Centre for the Asia Pacific (VPHCAP), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Chiang Mai University (grant number R000027441). The APC was funded by the Center of Excellence in Veterinary Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Chiang Mai University (R000029943).