Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Food Safety and Nutritional Behaviors

Abstract

Global events like pandemics or climatic changes have an important influence on food systems. Taking into account consumer requirements during the pandemic, nutrition and food safety are very significant for individuals' well-being. Lockdowns, quarantine, and social distancing changed daily routines as well as nutritional behaviors from shopping for food to eating habits. Direct transmission of coronavirus through food was not observed. Food safety and food sustainability are strongly affected due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, the pandemic is still ongoing. For this reason, novel treatments of COVID-19 and immune-boosting food products will remain on-trend. Food loss and food waste should be avoided to achieve a sustainable food future. This chapter reveals a basis for the pandemic about the changes on nutritional behaviors, eating habits, and aimed to highlight the importance of food handling and food safety issues to create awareness. Future studies should investigate the sustainability, innovative technologies, mechanisms, and changes on nutritional behavior and food safety aspects during the pandemic.