The Impact of COVID-19 on Food Stockpiling Behavior over Time in China

Studying the impact of COVID-19 on consumer food stockpiling behavior is timely and imperative. It can provide important information and help to understand whether consumers permanently change their behavior or return to their old habits in the long run. This study analyzed Chinese consumers’ food stockpiling behavior using six rounds of nationwide surveys in China from December 2020 to July 2021. The results show that the scale of food reserves extended from 3.03 to 10.01 days after the outbreak of COVID-19, then dropped to a “new normal” plateau and kept fluctuating with the tide of the COVID-19 pandemic. Consumers who stockpile food for “Avoiding shortage” and “Pursuing ease” are going to stockpile food on a larger scale, implying a supply shock may affect the demand side. Those who perceive a higher level of severity of the pandemic are less likely to return to their old habits. Finally, although consumers’ food stockpiling behavior fluctuates with the tide of COVID-19 pandemic, it gradually returns to old habits over time.