Does the COVID-19 pandemic change food consumption and shopping patterns? Evidence from Indonesian urban households

Purpose: This study investigate changes in food consumption and shopping patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach: The authors collected cross-sectional data from 507 households in three Indonesian cities, i.e. Surabaya, Surakarta and Bogor, via an online survey and analysed the data using non-parametric tests: the U-Mann Whitney test, the Kruskal–Wallis test and the ordered probit model. Findings: The results indicate that, during the pandemic, people 1) avoided eating out in a restaurant or cafeteria to reduce transmission risk and cooked at home instead; 2) stocked food products to minimise store visits; 3) chose a healthier diet including fruits and vegetables; and 4) wasted less food. These new trends could be linked to the socio-demographics, i.e. age, education, marital status and income level. Originality/value: This research was conducted during the peak of the COVID-19 outbreak in Indonesia between July and August 2021, so the findings could inform food-related long-term policymaking and responses to a crisis. Peer review: The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-11-2021-0666.