Google Searches Reveal Changing Consumer Food Sourcing in the COVID-19 Pandemic PDF

Consumers are dramatically changing their food purchasing habits in response to the evolving COVID-19 pandemic (Kolodinsky, 2020; Schmidt, et al., 2020; Worstell, 2020). In part this is due to growing public awareness that food supply chains, which normally operate largely unnoticed and with great efficiency, are in fact fragile and vulnerable. With supply chain interruptions and mandates in several states for social distancing and fewer grocery shop trips, consumers are compelled to think about food storability as well different food sourcing options. In this commentary we examine how consumer interest has changed since the advent of the pandemic, by observing Google Search Trends.