IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v13y2021i16p8987-d612561.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Impact of Coronavirus COVID-19 Pandemic on Food Purchasing, Eating Behavior, and Perception of Food Safety in Kuwait

Author

Listed:
  • Dana AlTarrah

    (Faculty of Public Health, Kuwait University, Kuwait City 12037, Kuwait)

  • Entisar AlShami

    (Public Authority for Food and Nutrition, Kuwait City 207, Kuwait)

  • Nawal AlHamad

    (Public Authority for Food and Nutrition, Kuwait City 207, Kuwait)

  • Fatemah AlBesher

    (Public Authority for Food and Nutrition, Kuwait City 207, Kuwait)

  • Sriraman Devarajan

    (Dasman Diabetes Institute, Kuwait City 15462, Kuwait)

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the government in Kuwait implemented public health measures to control the spread of the virus. However, despite the importance of these restrictions, normal activities related to purchasing of groceries, concerns related to food safety, and overall uncertainty may have influenced food behaviors and food consumption. Hence, the study investigates the impact of COVID-19 on food purchasing behaviors, eating behaviors, and the perception of food safety and security among residents in Kuwait. A cross-sectional study was carried out using self-administered questionnaires between 28 July 2020 and 31 August 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic in Kuwait. A total of 841 respondents participated in the study. The study identified several changes in food purchasing behaviors, eating behaviors, food consumption, and consumers perceptions on food safety during the pandemic. The closures, restrictions, and changes in food purchasing evidently influenced individual’s eating behaviors. Largely, participants were found to (i) change their food purchasing behavior (74%); (ii) opt for online food delivery services (42.8%); (iii) purchase long-shelf-life foods (e.g., canned food and dry staples) (76%); (iv) consume more meals at home (76%); and (v) follow public health measures to reduce the spread of the virus and ensure their safety (98%). This study indicates that individuals during times of uncertainty and stress change their food purchasing behaviors, food consumption habits, and follow guidelines and recommendations. These findings may help public health initiatives to focus on raising awareness about the importance of health, wellbeing, and nutrition during times of crises.

Suggested Citation

  • Dana AlTarrah & Entisar AlShami & Nawal AlHamad & Fatemah AlBesher & Sriraman Devarajan, 2021. "The Impact of Coronavirus COVID-19 Pandemic on Food Purchasing, Eating Behavior, and Perception of Food Safety in Kuwait," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-15, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:16:p:8987-:d:612561
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/16/8987/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/16/8987/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. John A. L. Cranfield, 2020. "Framing consumer food demand responses in a viral pandemic," Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics/Revue canadienne d'agroeconomie, Canadian Agricultural Economics Society/Societe canadienne d'agroeconomie, vol. 68(2), pages 151-156, June.
    2. Scott R Baker & Robert A Farrokhnia & Steffen Meyer & Michaela Pagel & Constantine Yannelis & Jeffrey Pontiff, 0. "How Does Household Spending Respond to an Epidemic? Consumption during the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic," The Review of Asset Pricing Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 10(4), pages 834-862.
    3. Tarek Ben Hassen & Hamid El Bilali & Mohammad S. Allahyari, 2020. "Impact of COVID-19 on Food Behavior and Consumption in Qatar," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(17), pages 1-18, August.
    4. Sarra Jribi & Hanen Ben Ismail & Darine Doggui & Hajer Debbabi, 2020. "COVID-19 virus outbreak lockdown: What impacts on household food wastage?," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 22(5), pages 3939-3955, June.
    5. Vasilii Erokhin & Tianming Gao, 2020. "Impacts of COVID-19 on Trade and Economic Aspects of Food Security: Evidence from 45 Developing Countries," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(16), pages 1-28, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Yajia Liang & Taiyang Zhong & Jonathan Crush, 2022. "Boon or Bane? Urban Food Security and Online Food Purchasing during the COVID-19 Epidemic in Nanjing, China," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-25, June.
    2. Tao Lian & Shamsheer ul Haq & Pomi Shahbaz & Lei Zhao & Muhammad Nadeem & Babar Aziz, 2022. "Changing Food Patterns during the Pandemic: Exploring the Role of Household Dynamics and Income Stabilization Strategies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-20, December.
    3. María Núñez-Fernández & Héctor Hugo Pérez-Villarreal & Yesica Mayett-Moreno, 2021. "Comparing Models with Positive Anticipated Emotions, Food Values, Attitudes and Subjective Norms as Influential Factors in Fast-Food Purchase Intention during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Two Channels: Re," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(22), pages 1-16, November.
    4. Huashu Wang & Zhenyi Li & H. Holly Wang, 2022. "Does Backward Integration Improve Food Safety of the Tea Industry in China in the Post-COVID-19 Era?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-15, February.
    5. Yasheng Chen & Mohammad Islam Biswas, 2021. "Turning Crisis into Opportunities: How a Firm Can Enrich Its Business Operations Using Artificial Intelligence and Big Data during COVID-19," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(22), pages 1-17, November.
    6. Yu-Ping Wei, 2021. "The Effect of Food Safety-Related Attributes on Customer Satisfaction of Ready-to-Eat Foods at Hypermarkets," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-11, September.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Valeria Borsellino & Sina Ahmadi Kaliji & Emanuele Schimmenti, 2020. "COVID-19 Drives Consumer Behaviour and Agro-Food Markets towards Healthier and More Sustainable Patterns," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(20), pages 1-26, October.
    2. Lingfei Wang & Yuqin Yang & Guoyan Wang, 2022. "The Clean Your Plate Campaign: Resisting Table Food Waste in an Unstable World," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-17, April.
    3. Tarek Ben Hassen & Hamid El Bilali & Mohammad S. Allahyari & Sinisa Berjan & Darjan Karabašević & Adriana Radosavac & Goran Dašić & Ružica Đervida, 2021. "Preparing for the Worst? Household Food Stockpiling during the Second Wave of COVID-19 in Serbia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(20), pages 1-19, October.
    4. Tarek Ben Hassen & Hamid El Bilali & Mohammad S. Allahyari, 2020. "Impact of COVID-19 on Food Behavior and Consumption in Qatar," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(17), pages 1-18, August.
    5. Deliberador, Lucas Rodrigues & Santos, Alexandre Borges & Carrijo, Pâmella Rodrigues Silva & Batalha, Mário Otávio & César, Aldara da Silva & Ferreira, Luís Miguel D.F., 2023. "How risk perception regarding the COVID-19 pandemic affected household food waste: Evidence from Brazil," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 87(PA).
    6. Rivera-Ferre, Marta G. & López-i-Gelats, Feliu & Ravera, Federica & Oteros-Rozas, Elisa & di Masso, Marina & Binimelis, Rosa & El Bilali, Hamid, 2021. "The two-way relationship between food systems and the COVID19 pandemic: causes and consequences," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 191(C).
    7. Kun Qian & Firouzeh Javadi & Michikazu Hiramatsu, 2020. "Influence of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Household Food Waste Behavior in Japan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(23), pages 1-15, November.
    8. Principato, Ludovica & Secondi, Luca & Cicatiello, Clara & Mattia, Giovanni, 2022. "Caring more about food: The unexpected positive effect of the Covid-19 lockdown on household food management and waste," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 82(PA).
    9. Theodoridis, Prokopis K. & Zacharatos, Theofanis V., 2022. "Food waste during Covid- 19 lockdown period and consumer behaviour – The case of Greece," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    10. Vera Amicarelli & Caterina Tricase & Alessia Spada & Christian Bux, 2021. "Households’ Food Waste Behavior at Local Scale: A Cluster Analysis after the COVID-19 Lockdown," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-14, March.
    11. Amicarelli, Vera & Lagioia, Giovanni & Sampietro, Stefania & Bux, Christian, 2022. "Has the COVID-19 pandemic changed food waste perception and behavior? Evidence from Italian consumers," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 82(PA).
    12. Claudia Giordano & Silvio Franco, 2021. "Household Food Waste from an International Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-9, May.
    13. Zhitao Xu & Adel Elomri & Abdelfatteh El Omri & Laoucine Kerbache & Hui Liu, 2021. "The Compounded Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic and Desert Locust Outbreak on Food Security and Food Supply Chain," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-17, January.
    14. A. Ford Ramsey & Barry K. Goodwin & William F. Hahn & Matthew T. Holt, 2021. "Impacts of COVID‐19 and Price Transmission in U.S. Meat Markets," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 52(3), pages 441-458, May.
    15. Yanfei Pan & Marian Rizov, 2022. "Consumer Behaviour in Sourcing Meals during COVID-19: Implications for Business and Marketing," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-20, October.
    16. Mario Amato & Fabio Verneau & Adele Coppola & Francesco La Barbera, 2021. "Domestic Food Waste and Covid-19 Concern: An Application of the Theory of Planned Behaviour," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-12, July.
    17. Tomas Baležentis & Mangirdas Morkūnas & Agnė Žičkienė & Artiom Volkov & Erika Ribašauskienė & Dalia Štreimikienė, 2021. "Policies for Rapid Mitigation of the Crisis’ Effects on Agricultural Supply Chains: A Multi-Criteria Decision Support System with Monte Carlo Simulation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-31, October.
    18. Everitt, Haley & van der Werf, Paul & Seabrook, Jamie A. & Wray, Alexander & Gilliland, Jason A., 2022. "The quantity and composition of household food waste during the COVID-19 pandemic: A direct measurement study in Canada," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 82(PA).
    19. Giulia Borghesi & Piergiuseppe Morone, 2023. "A review of the effects of COVID-19 on food waste," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 15(1), pages 261-280, February.
    20. Veronika Harantová & Alica Kalašová & Simona Skřivánek Kubíková & Jaroslav Mazanec & Radomíra Jordová, 2022. "The Impact of Mobility on Shopping Preferences during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Evidence from the Slovak Republic," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-27, April.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:16:p:8987-:d:612561. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.