Pathology

Business

Purchasing

Disease

Food consumption

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Infectious disease (medical specialty)

Biology

Pandemic

Outbreak

Marketing

Econometrics

Virology

Economics

2019-20 coronavirus outbreak

Agricultural economics

Food away from home

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)

Panel data

Medicine

Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy

The COVID‐19 pandemic has altered conceptions of “normal” globally, including food purchasing and acquisition decisions. In this paper, we surveyed a panel of 1,370 U.S. households four times during the COVID‐19 pandemic from mid‐March to late April 2020. With this unique panel, we observe changes in food expenditures, shopping behaviors, and food values as the pandemic evolved. Our results reveal reductions in food‐away‐from‐home expenditures and increases in online grocery shopping. Food values appear to be fairly stable in the early stages of the pandemic; however, decreases in the importance of price and nutrition reveal tradeoffs households make during the pandemic.

Examining Food Purchase Behavior and Food Values During the <scp>COVID</scp>‐19 Pandemic

Examining Food Purchase Behavior and Food Values During the COVID‐19 Pandemic