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

Viachaslau Filimonau; Le Hong Vi; Sean Beer; Vladimir A Ermolaev

doi:10.1016/j.seps.2021.101125

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

Socioecon Plann Sci. 2022 Aug:82:101125. doi: 10.1016/j.seps.2021.101125. Epub 2021 Jul 16.

Authors

Viachaslau Filimonau¹, Le Hong Vi¹, Sean Beer¹, Vladimir A Ermolaev²

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Management, Bournemouth University, Talbot Campus, Fern Barrow, Poole, Dorset, BH12 5BB, UK.
² Department of Commodity Science and Expertise, Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, Stremyanny Lane 36, Moscow, 117997, Russia.

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; Food waste; Grocery retail; Healthy eating; Household food consumption; Restaurant.