Healthy Food Retail during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Challenges and Future Directions

Lucia A. Leone, Sheila Fleischhacker, Betsy Anderson-Steeves, Kaitlyn Harper, Megan Winkler, Elizabeth Racine, Barbara Baquero and Joel Gittelsohn
Additional contact information
Lucia A. Leone: School of Public Health and Health Professions, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14213, USA
Sheila Fleischhacker: Law Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20001, USA
Betsy Anderson-Steeves: Department of Nutrition, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA
Kaitlyn Harper: Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
Megan Winkler: School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
Elizabeth Racine: Department of Public Health Sciences, College of Health and Human Services University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA
Barbara Baquero: Department of Health Services School of Public Health, University of Washington Seattle, WA 98195, USA
Joel Gittelsohn: Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 20, 1-14

Abstract: Disparities in dietary behaviors have been directly linked to the food environment, including access to retail food outlets. The Coronavirus Disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to major changes in the distribution, sale, purchase, preparation, and consumption of food in the United States (US). This paper reflects on those changes and provides recommendations for research to understand the impact of the pandemic on the retail food environment (RFE) and consumer behavior. Using the Retail Food Environment and Customer Interaction Model, we describe the impact of COVID-19 in four key areas: (1) community, state, tribal, and federal policy; (2) retail actors, business models, and sources; (3) customer experiences; and (4) dietary intake. We discuss how previously existing vulnerabilities and inequalities based on race, ethnicity, class, and geographic location were worsened by the pandemic. We recommend approaches for building a more just and equitable RFE, including understanding the impacts of changing shopping behaviors and adaptations to federal nutrition assistance as well as how small food business can be made more sustainable. By better understanding the RFE adaptations that have characterized the COVID-19 pandemic, we hope to gain greater insight into how our food system can become more resilient in the future.

Keywords: retail food environment; food purchasing; federal nutrition assistance; COVID-19; grocery stores; restaurants; dietary intake (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (22)

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