According to the Expert Panel of the Forbes Business Council, consumers today are or will be better informed and more participatory, make purchase decisions “on-the-go,” use text messages via social media, demand consistent quality and volume of products, and prefer businesses that address ESG mandates (environmental, social and governance practices). They will also require businesses to be more customer-centric providing personalized and high-quality customer service. These characteristics will allow them to wade comfortably through the pandemic.
Food Habits in Other Countries
There do not seem to be studies on the eating behavior of consumers in other countries that report the same categories as those included by The Hartman Group and FMI, but there is a systematic review of longitudinal studies conducted by Gonzalez-Monroy and colleagues and published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health to compare eating behavior changes pre- and post-pandemic. Of the 826 studies these researchers initially gathered, 23 longitudinal studies passed their planned screening process. There were five studies from Italy, four from China, two each from Australia, Spain, United Kingdom, and Japan, and one each from the United States, India, Brazil, France, Poland, and Canada. Only adults older than 18 with no comorbidities were chosen, but they found specific subgroups of people with diabetes mellitus, young obese people, and others in vulnerable situations. The group was relatively young, with a mean age of 24.2 years.
The researchers confirmed the existence of changes in eating behavior during the pandemic. Because people stayed mostly at home during these times, the researchers reported that consumers cooked more and “showed a more frequent intake of food, an increased consumption of ultra-processed food and a higher caloric intake due to a more frequent alcohol consumption.” People in the specific subgroups also “appeared to increase the daily amount of food eaten” with a reported “significant increase in the amount and frequency of unhealthy food products.” Younger people showed “a lower adherence to healthy diets such as the Mediterranean Diet” “due to an increased intake of food, a preference for snacks and a lack of fruit and vegetables intake.” The researchers concluded that their systematic review showed “changes in eating behavior, which may have become less healthy during the pandemic.” They advocated the use of government-supported preventive interventions and social actions to promote healthy eating habits with a focus not only on food intake but also on alcohol consumption.
Will There Be More Changes in Food Habits?
Consumers worldwide changed their eating behavior during the pandemic. Some changed to strengthen themselves to ward off the coronavirus by eating what they considered healthful foods. Others changed the frequency of eating at different eating occasions. And others, probably due to anxiety and uncertainty, changed by overeating and increasing their alcohol consumption. Will these changes significantly and permanently alter our daily lifestyles? And, how will consumers consequently react?
Dr. Saulo is principal/owner of Food Science Interests, LLC, and is based in Hawaii. Reach her at [email protected].
Leave a Reply