The Impact of COVID-19 on Consumer Food Waste

Abstract

Perhaps no phenomenon has so quickly and radically altered household production parameters and daily food patterns as the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. We contemplate the immediate and longer-term implications of this public health crisis on the amount of food wasted by consumers. We conclude that the pandemic and its aftermath may improve household skills and management practices in a manner that reduces day-to-day household food waste. However, pandemic-driven disruptions may induce larger intermittent purges of food due to changes in work patterns and food service and food retailing availability. We recommend several steps to reduce waste as the pandemic unfolds.