IATA Researchers Analyze Internet and Network Search Trends on COVID19 and Survey Changes in Food Purchasing During Confinement

  • The Internet and Social Networks provide a lot of useful information for consumer studies

  • During confinement most people have bought more of the foods they thought were healthy and those they thought would help improve mood

The Internet and social networks have revolutionized the world of communications since their emergence at all levels, from the personal and social to the professional levels of citizenship and now serve as a potential tool for the analysis of the concerns and opinions of society. Since the beginning of the current global health crisis, to a greater or lesser extent, everyone has been informed about COVID19 and has been forced to change their lifestyle. Therefore, this type of research aims to understand the evolution of the information sought on COVID19 and what the changes in purchasing habits have been in order to better understand what the needs of citizens are.

Researchers from the Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology (IATA-CSIC), the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), in collaboration with the Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM), have carried out a study on Internet and YouTube searches during the months of January and April 2020, to find out what the trends have been during this time. They have also evaluated what people shared on Twitter regarding COVID19 and food during the months of March and April 2020. In addition, during strict confinement a consumer survey has been carried out to find out the reasons for and changes in food purchases.

"With this study it has been possible to know that at the beginning of the health crisis information was sought about what COVID19 is and how the disease can progress and spread. After the official declaration of the pandemic, searches began in relation to food and storage purchases" comments Laura Laguna, IATA researcher. Twitter (March and April) also shows an evolution over time, starting with concerns about buying and storing food to a sense of uncertainty about the coming crisis.

In addition, during the phase of strict confinement in Spain (from March 30 to April 14), 362 consumers were surveyed online and it was found that the reasons why some products were bought more than others were health, such as vegetables and pasta, and improvement of mood, nuts, cheese and chocolates. However, among the products that were bought less, fish and seafood are appreciated because they have a very short shelf life and also those that are perceived as unhealthy or contribute to a low mood, such as sugary baked goods or desserts. 

 "We have also seen that although people rely on information from scientists as a reliable source, when they search for content and videos on the Internet, we are not the most popular," says Laura. Therefore, this shows that efforts must be made to design more effective information communication channels, preventing the population from falling into deception or misinformation.

 

References:

The impact of COVID-19 lockdown on food priorities. Results from a preliminary study using social media and an online survey with Spanish consumers

L. Laguna, S. Fiszman, P. Puerta, C. Chaya, A. Tárrega

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0950329320302974