Global assessment of the impacts of COVID-19 on food security

Abstract

In this paper we present the first global assessments of COVID-19's impacts on food systems and their actors, focusing specifically on the food security and nutritional status of those affected in low and middle-income countries. The review confirms the magnitude and the severity of an unprecedented crisis that has spread worldwide and has spared only a few. The analysis shows that the dimension of food security that has been most affected is accessibility, with reasonably solid evidence suggesting that both financial and physical access to food have been disrupted. In contrast, there is no clear evidence that the availability of food has been affected. Overall, data suggests that food systems resisted and adapted to the disruption of the pandemic. This resilience came, however, at great costs, with the majority of the systems' actors having to cope with severe disruptions in their activities. In contrast, grocery stores and supermarkets made billions of dollars in profits in 2020.

Perceived effects of COVID-19 restrictions on smallholder farmers: Evidence from seven lower- and middle-income countries

“…The main causes reported were high purchase prices, a lack of money, or an inability to physically access markets (not market closures). The impact on food access rather than availability is aligned with a recent review of the global food security impacts due to COVID-19 ( Béné et al, 2021 ). Our empirical findings support the modelling work ( Laborde et al, 2021 ), which predicted an increase in the number of people in lower- and middle-income countries who could not afford a healthy diet.…”

“…They are also the most vulnerable to food insecurity and poverty ( Sibhatu and Qaim, 2018 ; Fanzo et al, 2018 ), with households suffering from both lack of available nutritious foods and low purchasing power even when food is available. As stated by Béné et al (2021) ‘Access to food – whether through own production or using income from cash cropping or nonfarm sources – was already poor and may have gotten worse due to the COVID-19 pandemic and policies adopted to slow the spread of the disease’. The World Bank estimated that by the end of 2020 an additional 88 to 115 million people were pushed into extreme poverty by the COVID-19 pandemic ( World Bank, 2020a ).…”

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Rural Food Security in High Income Countries: A Systematic Literature Review

“…While only a minority of studies in our review examined the stability of the rural food supply, the included studies suggested that food supply systems in rural areas were impacted. Overall, it was reported that food systems in high-income countries were responsive to the crisis and no major food shortages occurred [ 64 ]. However, our review suggests that not all populations had equal access to sufficient food during the pandemic, and rural areas may have been disproportionately affected.…”

Shedding light on the toxicity of SARS-CoV-2-derived peptide in non-target COVID-19 organisms: A study involving inbred and outbred mice

“…It is known that since the emergence of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) in Wuhan Province (China) in late 2019 ( Wang et al, 2020 ), and it is subsequent worldwide spread, the COVID-19 has led to a dramatic loss of human life worldwide ( WHO, 2022 ) and presents an unprecedented challenge to public health (Aslan 2022), food systems ( Cable et al, 2021 , Béné et al, 2021 ), and the world of work (ILO monitor, 2022). The economic and social disruption caused by the pandemic is devastating ( Nicola et al, 2020 , Das et al, 2022 ).…”