(P05-002-23) Did COVID-19 Influence Fruit and Vegetable Consumption Preferences? Examining Attitudes Towards the Pandemic and Its Impacts on Consumption

Objectives: Amidst a variety of state/national mandates to minimize risk of Covid-19 as it ravaged the U.S., diets, particularly fruits and vegetables which are known to boost immune health, were an aspect outside the purview of official protocols and within an individual’s control to reduce their risk of severe infection. The study’s objective is to assess consumption of fruits and vegetables at the height of the pandemic, examine possible changes in consumption as the pandemic eased in the U.S., and determine whether attitudes towards the pandemic can help explain consumption preferences.

Methods: A survey completed by 416 residents of the US South gathered information on consumption frequency of foods prepared at restaurants and at home, consumption of fruits and vegetables, inflation and its impact on food consumption, and pandemic-related attitudes. Consumption questions elicited frequency and serving amounts at the peak of Covid and this “post-peak pandemic” period (the survey was completed in October 2022). Ordered logistic and Tobit regressions were developed to explain the impacts of pandemic attitudes, effects of food inflation, and demographic variables on consumption frequency, and changes in consumption of fruits and vegetables between pandemic and post-peak pandemic periods.

Results: Although average consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables is less than daily, consumption is significantly higher in the “post-peak pandemic” period. Residents who consumed foods prepared at home were more likely to consume fresh and non-fresh fruits and vegetables at the height of the pandemic. Increase in fruit and vegetable consumption was also evident among residents whose consumption patterns have not been influenced by the current inflation, and those who paid more attention to their diets since the pandemic started.

Conclusions: Consumption of fruits and vegetables is less than recommended levels on average, but reportedly higher since the pandemic “eased” in the U.S. However, this increase is prominent among individuals who have been paying more attention to their diets since the pandemic, and those whose consumption has not been affected by inflation. Policies can thus leverage the opening up of the economy to amplify educational efforts on diets and fruit and vegetable consumption in particular.

Funding Sources: Tennessee State University College of Agriculture