1.

Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic, which has brought the world more than 4 million deaths so far,
has had a massive impact on global food security and nutrition. The pandemic and the
posterior lockdown measures assessed by governments as a response—have only worsened
the trouble for food systems, conceivably speeding up the impending global food exigency.
( a)

As we know, supply chains are one of the significant factors in food balance; if this is
affected by any form of global shock, it could have severe and long-lasting impacts on food
security.

2. Literature Review

2.1 Impact of COVID-19 in the food Sector

The pandemic, policies and other behavioural responses to control it pose various risks to the
food sector, especially food security-related. Assessing these risks requires a clear
understanding of viral epidemiology, public health, and the economics of behaviour and
policy responses to this rapidly evolving pandemic.

The following section provides an overview of the impacts of COVID-19 poses to the food
sector. Risks fall into four main categories: supply chains, production systems, labour
markets, and demand patterns (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Primary Channeles of Supply Chain Disruption by Covid-19

2.2 Supply Chains in the food sector 

10. Much of the food supply chain disruption stems from measures aimed at curbing the
spread of the virus, leading to disruptions in domestic and international markets. One of the
biggest misalignments in supply chain logistics is the exchange and delivery of goods and
services in all directions in all market economies.

Figure 2: Long-Term Impacts of Logistics Disruptions

2.3 Restrictions and Lockdowns 

12. Containment measures restricting the movement of people and goods within and between
countries are a significant cause of disruption in food supply chains. These policies were
necessary to contain the spread of the virus but caused widespread logistical errors and
misallocation of food. For example, policies requiring restaurants, hotels, and schools to close
mean that producers cannot sell products to established buyers, and farmers have (usually
perishable) produce but no customers. In the United States, the Dairy Farmers of America
reported that as of April 2020, its members discarded more than 3.7 million gallons of milk
daily because of such disruptions (Yaffe -Bellany & Corkery, 2020) 11 Figure 3: Knock-On
Effects of Logistics Disruptions (Example)

Demand for commodities is skyrocketing, and the surge in demand exacerbates logistics
bottlenecks. When income shocks reduce complementary food purchases, farmers may
consume grains and livestock to supplement their food intake at the expense of future
production and income. Similarly, lower payments may reduce investment in inputs needed
for future crops (Food security and COVID-19, 2021) 14.

2.4 Imports and Exports 

Containment measures restricting cross-border movement initially created a diverse and

mutually reinforcing set of bottlenecks, port backlogs and labor market turmoil. Between
November 2020 and February 2021, rental costs for shipping containers from Asia to Europe
increased by more than 250%, and costs for shipping containers from Asia to North America
increased by more than 80%22.

2.5 Traders and Middlemen 

16. However, COVID-19 travel restrictions have left distributors and intermediaries unable to
perform vital transportation and logistics operations for producers and consumers.
commercial, informal) increase the number of products that do not reach consumers. Workers
and consumers 32.

2.6 Sanitary Requirements and Inspection Protocols 

17. Initial uncertainties regarding the transmission and animal host potential of COVID-19
have raised concerns about sanitary and phytosanitary requirements for agricultural foods,
especially meat and seafood. The World Trade Organization reported that 38 member
countries had informed the organization of product standards, regulations or procedures34.
Additional sanitation and documentation requirements could create additional costs for agro-
food producers, discourage export investment, and unfairly favour domestic producers over
international ones producers37

2.7 Production Systems 

18. Containment measures that have disrupted cross-border transport, trade in goods and
services, and movements of traders and middlemen have also affected production systems in
the food sector.

2.8 Delivery of Inputs  

Delays in delivering vital agricultural inputs, technologies, and services during critical
seasonal periods are commonly reported effects of COVID-19 supply chain disruptions. For
example, the Asia and Pacific Food and Fertilizer Technology Center found that in the
summer of 2020, 40.5% of farmers surveyed in Vietnam could not purchase the inputs they
needed when needed, and 32.5% were unable to buy them due to supply disruptions.

2.9 Prices of Inputs 

21. Supply disruptions and inflation have pushed farm input prices, undermining net income
and farmers' investment incentives. FAO predicts that disruptions in production systems will
reduce agricultural yields and lead to food shortages, especially for perishable and expensive
commodities. Food prices have risen in response to these disruptions, and higher headline
inflation reduces purchasing power. A rapid and significant decline in purchasing power will
exacerbate the food insecurity challenge in low-income countries45.

Figure IMF Primary Commodity Prices

Source: Primary Commodity Price System, International Monetary Fund

https://data.imf.org/?sk=471DDDF8D8A7499A81BA5B332C01F8B9&sId=1547558078595

2.10 Processing 

22. Policies such as social distancing and quarantine protocols have created backlogs in food
processing, resulting in unprecedented food waste and mismatches between product supply
and demand. For clarity, livestock supply includes the production of animal processing as a
route from upstream producers to market. Conversely, livestock demand includes processing
as an intermediary to deliver products from live animals to consumers. Thus, the disruption in
livestock processing caused by COVID-19 caused a demand shock for (upstream) producers
and a supply shock for (downstream) consumers.

Figure: Livestock Supply Chain Disruptions

2.11 Labor Markets 

25. COVID-19 and associated containment measures have suddenly hit the food labour
market, leading to long-term unemployment in many sectors of the global economy.
According to the International Labor Organization's estimated report, eighty-one million
people have lost their jobs as a result of the pandemic63. Many agri-food companies face
labour supply constraints as immigration patterns change, restricted movement, and
absenteeism increases. The effects of these changes are most clearly felt in the downstream
sectors of the food industry.

2.12 Migration

28. In the early days of the pandemic, many workers left the cities and returned to their rural
hometowns as they were suspended from work due to the pandemic. This migration has
exacerbated strains on local food systems as demand for commodities has increased and
strained public health systems as migrants from urban areas have brought COVID-19 into
rural areas. For example, in France, staff availability in meat processing plants has dropped
by almost 30%78. Labour shortages in the agri-food sector were widespread79. In Australia,
for example, crops rotted in the fields when migrant workers failed to harvest.

2.13 Food Security 

42. As noted above, the myriad disruptions caused by COVID-19 pose a significant threat to
food security worldwide.

The affordability of food is measured by "the ability of consumers to purchase food, their
vulnerability to price shocks, and the existence of programs and policies to support customers
in the event of price shocks." 110. Food availability is measured by "the adequacy of a
country's food supply, the risk of supply disruption, the country's ability to distribute food,
and research efforts to expand agricultural production." FAO's biannual report on the world
food market113 forecasts moderate growth in the global production of cereals, wheat, coarse
grains, rice, meat and meat products, milk and dairy products, and fish.

2.14 Quality and Safety  of Food

45. Food quality and safety are measured by 'average dietary diversity, nutritional quality,
and food safety. These localized price increases directly affect food security and nutrition,
especially as access to food becomes increasingly difficult for the poor.

The pandemic has changed the overall food landscape as countries closed informal food
markets as sources of disease transmission.[80] There has also been a shift towards the
consumption of more processed foods. did [81]

2.15 Impact of COVID-19 on Human Psychology

The rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a high death rate and, therefore,
negatively impacts mental health, thus causing social concerns due to government
restrictions. 70, 71]. Therefore, the symptoms of distress, depression, posttraumatic stress
disorder, anxiety, frustration, and suicide could stem from the length of the duration of the
sanitary measures taken to control the virus[72, 73

3. Future outlook and Prospective

A 'food system' approach to tackling malnutrition requires an integrated strategy considering

supply and demand. To build resilient food systems, we must step up our strategic actions to
meet people's needs now and after the crisis subsides. The pandemic is terrifying and costly,
but it is a tipping point to rebalance and transform food systems to make them more
inclusive, sustainable and resilient. [91]

To mitigate the food security and public health challenges posed by Covid-19, governments
need to address the short-term issues and the issues needed to build long-term resilience.

Addressing global nutrition goals requires inclusive, sustainable and efficient food systems
that provide nutritious food. Second, more robust social protection programs need to be
launched to improve access to nutritious food and mitigate the social disruption and
economic shock caused by the pandemic. Third, we must promote sustainable and inclusive
economic growth to create more job opportunities and improve living standards.
. To overcome mental health challenges, train psychologists and social workers to deal with
the impact of pandemics and health emergencies [74,75] and consult psychologists to reduce
the risk of infection. It is recommended to sensitize the patient to [76, 77].