Three essays on pandemic-driven shifts in food purchasing and policy: insights for strengthening food system resilience

Abstract

These three essays explore how pandemic-era shifts in (1) consumers' purchasing behaviors and (2) federal food policy may inform strategies to improve current and future food system outcomes. The COVID-19 pandemic caused significant shifts in food consumption patterns, some of which have persisted into the current food environment. Given the supply chain disruptions that occurred during this time, the pandemic also provides a case study for examining the tradeoffs of policy that supports flexible supply chains. Through three essays, this work examines purchasing behaviors and policy responses to uncover insights that can bolster the resilience of food markets in the face of future disruptions. The first essay explores the relationship between consumers' selection of multiple food market types and their usage of online FAH shopping options. National consumer survey data and latent class regression is used to capture various food shopping behaviors in the post-pandemic food environment. Two classes of online shoppers are discussed: values-driven consumers who use online options to find niche products, and frugal consumers who rarely use online options, but sometimes do so to save time and find bargains. The second essay uses Circana Retail Scanner Data to analyze consumers' stockpiling behaviors in response to pandemic-induced fears changes in pandemic-related public policies. The stockpiling of specific food categories is explored, with delineations made between perishable and non-perishable food. The third essay uses recent Difference-in-Difference techniques to evaluate the Farmers to Families Food Box (FFFB) program's impact on contracted businesses' employed labor, survival, and market opportunities. This analysis informs ongoing federal and state-level efforts to enhance food assistance programs and ensure food system resilience in times of crisis.