Consumers' Perception and Behaviour on the Characteristics of Food and Agri-Food Products during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Regardless of its size and intensity, a crisis will always affect people in their capacity as consumers in some way or another. But what happens, and how does it affect a crisis that appears and manifests once every 100 years, such as the COVID-19 pandemic? Although a definitive answer to this question may elude us, it is evident that the COVID-19 pandemic has plunged consumers into a realm of significant uncertainty, requiring them to prioritise their health. This heightened health consciousness has directly influenced their purchasing decisions and consumption patterns, leading to heightened scrutiny of food and agri-food product characteristics, particularly in the early stages of the pandemic. This research effort aims to understand how consumers perceive and report specific characteristics of food and agri-food products during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, a crisis that has significantly affected consumer behaviour. By applying and using the statistical method, correspondence analysis will be possible. Identifying and observing which features became more important to consumers during that period and how they relate to them will be possible. The results of this analysis will provide a detailed picture of how the pandemic has influenced the food and agri-food market, thus contributing to a deeper understanding of how significant crises affect consumer behaviour and, by implication, the food industry.