Food Protection Trends - September/October 2021 - 457

Most people owned hand sanitizer before the onset of
the pandemic. Several participants noted that quantities
were scarce or that the cost had increased, but few reported
attempting to make their own:
Ahmed: Had some extra hand sanitizer at home before [the]
pandemic. Finally finding a use for them.
Austin: Hard to find!
Jayden: The price is too high now.
For grocery shopping, most participants reported reducing
the frequency of trips to the grocery store. Consequently,
they preferred buying higher quantities of foods during these
shops to ensure there was enough to last until the next one:
Ahmed: Also didn't want to go grocery shopping as much as
it became a hassle and took much longer. Can't easily make a
quick trip to the grocery store anymore. So bought extras for
this reason.
The types of food people purchased have also changed.
Overall, participants purchased more frozen and canned food
items, dry goods such as pasta, and, in some cases, prepackaged
produce as participants believed that it would have been handled
by fewer people and was therefore safer to eat:
Hannah: I bought more canned goods (e.g., beans, corn, etc.),
meat to freeze, pasta, frozen foods.
Lana: Not more food in general, but definitely buy more
frozen food than before. It's nice to have stuff that won't go bad
in case you can't make it to the grocery store, etc.
There were various stockpiling behaviors among participants,
ranging from next-to-no stockpiling to families that
purchased several months' worth of food supplies. Often,
the extent of stockpiling was influenced by available storage
space at home:
Grayson: Space in the fridge is of a concern for me and limits
how much I can stockpile.
Meera: No as I do not have much space in my fridge/freezer.
There have been notable changes in shopping behaviors
within the grocery store. Participants reported exercising a
greater degree of caution (e.g., less face touching and phone
use); using gloves, masks, sanitary wipes, and/or disposable
bags; physical distancing; and browsing more selectively:
Adrienne: When I'm at the grocery store, I feel like everything
around me is contaminated and I try to touch as little as I
possibly can. I walk around like my hands are covered in mud
until I get out of the store and can clean my hands properly
(don't touch my face, don't touch my phone, etc.).
Sanitation has been more frequent during the COVID-19
pandemic, with the intensity of people's rituals varying
a great deal. Most participants reported making changes
that included sanitizing food packaging and high-touch
surfaces with disinfectant wipes. Some established more
thorough routines that included step-by-step surface and
item sanitation, as well as showering and changing clothes
upon entering the house. Changes in practices were most
pronounced upon returning from outside the home:
Aaliyah: Nonperishables I keep in the car for a couple of days
and perishables I bring inside as normal and put away as
normal. No washing containers, etc.
Danielle: We use gloves and antiseptic towels.
Angela: At first I would wash my hands first then put on
my kitchen gloves before putting groceries away. Didn't do
anything special for the groceries put into the fridge except the
mushrooms I would remove from the packaging and put into
a paper bag. Then disinfect the handles on the fridge doors
and other surfaces I touched. Disinfect the packaging for my
dried beans before putting them at away. Then disinfect the
cupboard door handles and kitchen faucet, sink.
For several participants, sanitation practices implemented
early in the pandemic had become less strict as the
pandemic progressed:
Ella: At first we wiped down all packages with Lysol wipes
before they entered the house, and a sink full of soapy water to
wash all produce before we put it in the fridge. We did this for
about a month, and now we don't do anything.
There was a significant amount of misinformation reported
in terms of washing produce. Participants reported washing
their produce with liquid and dish soap, vinegar, and baking
soda. Washing with soap was more commonly discussed
among participants aged 40 and older. Many other participants
only washed their produce in water. Some participants already
routinely washed produce with substances in addition to the
water before the COVID-19 pandemic:
Lucy: I wash everything down before I put it away. I fill the
sink with water and a small dab of liquid soap and wash all
fruits and veggies, etc. and then wipe them dry.
The influence of others on one's pandemic experience
Concerns over others' food handling practices were
consistently expressed. This included worries about both
grocery store staff and shoppers. Participants were also
concerned that grocery store staff might not be taking proper
sanitation precautions:
Sarah: I wipe all my items down at the grocery store, and do
self check out (because cashiers wear the same gloves for every
customer) and wash produce before consumption.
Austin: Mostly [worried about] the packaging and who
handles it (including the supplier, the grocery store worker, and
whoever else might touch it at the store).
The reported frequency of purchasing food delivery or
takeout has either stayed the same or decreased during the
pandemic. For delivery and takeout foods, participants' were
concerned about the risk of virus transmission from couriers
and restaurant staff to food and packaging. These concerns
centered around catching COVID-19, not foodborne illness:
Zoe: I know it might sound a bit much but even when I order
grocery or takeout delivery, I think about the person delivering
my order and the possibility that they could have it and come
into contact with my items.
September/October Food Protection Trends 457
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2021

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