The Pandemic Caused People to Stop Buying Food Ingredients at the Market

The COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic has altered consumer behavior in purchasing food and groceries. According to a survey by the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), direct purchases of food ingredients from markets and ready-to-eat meals from food stalls or restaurants have decreased. People now prefer to buy food and groceries online.

Specifically, 4.84% of households no longer buy food ingredients directly from markets. 16.79% of households no longer buy ready-to-eat meals directly from food stalls or restaurants.

53.66% of households reported buying food ingredients from markets less frequently. 64.27% of households reported buying ready-to-eat meals from food stalls or restaurants less frequently.

30.29% of households reported no change in the frequency of buying food ingredients directly from markets. 13.77% of households reported no change in the frequency of buying ready-to-eat meals directly from food stalls or restaurants.

Meanwhile, 11.22% of households reported buying food ingredients directly from markets more frequently. 5.17% of households reported buying ready-to-eat meals directly from food stalls or restaurants more frequently.

LIPI conducted an online survey from September 15 to October 5, 2020. The survey collected data from over 2,400 household respondents, but only 62% of the questionnaires (1,489 respondents) were fully utilized.