COVID-19 has disrupted the world order . A range of restrictions enforced to contain the deadly virus nudged millions around the world to adapt to the new normal which includes work from home, social distancing etc. Changes in dietary patterns are an evident collateral impact of the pandemic. While a few were privileged to be creative and innovative with their diet routines, an overwhelming majority resorted to changes out of compulsions. A World Bank study states that 320 million people lost access to safe food resources in the last year.
In this milieu, The Voices conducted an online study on the people of Uttarakhand, a state in the north region of the Indian subcontinent to explore the impact of COVID-19 virus on the dietary patterns of the people.
Agriculture in the state, major share of which is subsistence based, enables majority of people to consume fresh produce in their regular diet in a normal year. For a topographically diverse and challenging state such as Uttarakahand, pandemic came in as a shock to production and supply facilities.
A total of 190 people from all 13 districts of Uttarakhand participated in the survey conducted by The Voices in an online mode. Respondents were divided into 4 age groups-18-25 years (26%), 25-35 years (51%), 35-45 years (12%), 50 years and above (11%). Out of 190, employees of a private organization were 44, government employees were 25, 32 were self-employed or having own business, 59 were students while 21 were home makers and 9 were retired. Respondents were distributed into 3 sub categories- Working from Home (36%), Being at office (24%) and people with unchanged working status (40%).
Patterns of dietary behaviour changes
The online survey was distributed into 3 phases where respondents were asked about their diet pattern pre, during and post COVID-19 era. It was observed that daily consumption of varied food products have changed significantly in the three phases. (Table 1)
| Components | Daily Consumption before Lockdown | Daily Consumption during Lockdown | Daily Consumption after Lockdown |
| Cereals | 67% | 63% | 68% |
| Pulses | 57% | 54% | 58% |
| Fresh Fruits & Vegetables | 66% | 35% | 68% |
| Meat & Eggs | 5% | 6% | 7% |
| Dairy & Dairy Products | 64% | 62% | 67% |
Daily consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables was reduced by nearly 50% to what it was before the lockdown in Uttarakhand according to the epitomes taken from different districts. It was also observed that maximum consumption shifted from daily to twice a week for fresh fruits & vegetables. At present, the consumption has bounced back to 68%. No change in the consumption of cereals and pulses was evident as it is the staple food of the state. Restricted movements of people led to stocking of food in households.
Most of the consumers ate meat and eggs once a week before lockdown. A slight dip in the intake was seen during the lockdown, as their consumption was reduced from 41% to 35% during the lockdown and is still static between a range of 30-35%. Dairy consumption was also within an average range with more than 60% people consuming it daily in all three phases.
Reasons for change in dietary pattern:
According to the study, reasons of change in the eating behavior was distributed into various factors such as availability, shelf life, hygiene concerns, easy substitution, unemployment/reduction in earnings leading to reduction on food expenditure and change in diet due to health issues. (Figure 1).
People preferred foods those were readily available as well as having higher shelf life since facilities like online grocery shopping are not popular in Uttarakhand. Results showed that 41% of the respondents marked easy availability as their first choice for change in their eating habits as there were limited buying options and restricted timings. Nearly 40% of the people considered longer shelf life of products and substitution by another similar product as their second reason that influenced their eating habits.
Hygiene was also a prime concern as the government advisories suggested utmost care while purchasing and cleaning of various food products which was reflected in the survey results. Participants were not consuming non vegetarian foods regularly, one of the reasons might be the rumors of transmission of the virus from animals to humans. Reduction in food expenses and health concerns were the least effecting factors as most of the people marked them as their third choice for their changed diet.
According to the survey nearly 58% people added some dietary supplements like vitamins, protein and minerals into their diets during this whole pandemic. Overall 20% people stated that their eating habits were highly impacted by COVID-19 till date whereas 12% stated that their habits remained unchanged and the rest 68% people found moderate changes in their diets. Whereas, dairy products were consumed in almost the same amount.
On the a whole it can be said that the survey revealed the experiences of people coming from different age groups
and background, in which overall dietary pattern of majority of people (64%) of the state changed due to this global pandemic. Accessibility to food items, those imported from other states as well as those produced in the state was a key factor for the phenomenon.
Foods having longer storage span are being clearly preferred, which means people prefer to stock their food for the unknown future.
The change in dietary patterns, especially in hilly terrains that face accessibility challenges even during ‘normal’ times needs to be explored further in a proactive manner. In a world where the forces of entropy are on the rise, either in the form of a global health crisis or disruptive climate change phenomenon, such studies will enable the human race to be a little better equipped to face the next big challenge that might be lurking around the corner.
Story Edited by NK Jha