The pandemic has transformed the way the world is fed- ELESPECTADOR.COM

Cooking more at home could also continue after the containment measures are finished, experts say.

There really isn’t a trend other than the following: People seek relief. They also want to eat to boost the immune system. They are dedicating themselves to making baked goods, but they are also eating healthier than in restaurants. Avocados are in fashion, pork belly is not. Frozen pizzas and instant noodles are running out.

And those seemingly conflicting and converging buying trends are disrupting agricultural markets, driving avocado prices up 60% from the beginning of March, while butter is plummeting due to falling demand for restaurants.

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“The coronavirus has completely changed everything,” said Sylvain Charlebois, professor and principal director of the Agrifood Analysis Laboratory at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada.

“People are more concerned with putting food on the table than with anything else,” he said. “That really changes a consumer’s mindset.”

Some of these trends may remain, experts say. Now that some people have returned to packaged foods, they might be surprised to see the quality improvements in these products and continue to buy them even in the post-quarantine world. Cooking more at home could also continue long after the containment measures are over.

Avocado, a favorite

Avocados are one of the foods that have experienced a surprising price increase in recent weeks. When the closure measures first came into effect, farmers in Mexico, the world’s leading producer, began to halt harvesting activities, anticipating a drop in demand.

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But it turns out that avocado toasts and guacamole are shaping up as confinement favorites. Demand has been much higher than what producers expected, and that caused prices to rise. A box of Hass avocados from Michoacán state, Mexico’s largest producer, cost around 480 pesos (US $ 19) on April 24, according to the government. This represents approximately 60% compared to 300 in early March.

Other products have flown off supermarket shelves. Retail citrus sales in the United States were eye-catching, increasing about 50% from the previous year’s levels in March, according to data from research firm IRI.

“There is a general health halo in all fresh produce,” said Roland Fumasi, an analyst at RaboResearch in Fresno, California.

It may be that the citrus buying wave has triggered the vitamin C content of these fruits as consumers want to strengthen their immune systems. Orange juice, once a breakfast staple that has fallen out of favor due to its high sugar content, also got a boost. Futures traded in New York have risen approximately 13% since the end of February.

In Asia, consumers are turning to traditional remedies to protect themselves from the virus, according to Tan Heng Hong, food and beverage analyst at APAC at market analysis firm Mintel. In Vietnam, people eat more black garlic and Indonesians stock up on jamu, a traditional medicine made from natural ingredients.

For many people, eating has become an escape from boredom and stress these days. Consumers are buying items at the grocery store that they had been avoiding just a few months ago – packaged foods, in particular, have breathed new life.

“Traditionally, food has an emotional function,” said Tan of Mintel.

Snack consumption is also increasing. This is because consumers are confined to their homes, but also because they carry out activities that encourage snacking, such as watching several episodes followed by “Tiger King” on Netflix.

The South Korean case illustrates other markets, according to Euromonitor International Ltd. Snack sales in grocery stores increased 9% compared to the previous year in the first part of March.

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