The Impact of COVID-19 on a University Food System

Abstract

The University of Washington has 40 food retail and food service locations that serve over 43,000 students. When classes switched to remote learning in March 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, it caused a major shock to the university’s food system. This exploratory study examined the pandemic’s impact on the university’s food supply chain and consumer population through a mixed methods approach. Interviews with 11 food system stakeholders and a campus-wide consumer survey revealed that public health safety measures and the resulting economic fallout caused several supply-side disruptions, while panic buying caused demand-side disruptions. Each food supplier used an array of adaptive strategies to accommodate the combined effects of a decreased workforce and a dramatic switch in demand from the food service market to the retail market. Consumers decreased their visits to indoor food sources, while maintaining or increasing visits to outdoor food sources. Although they increased the consumption of meals prepared at home, there was not a significant change in the prevalence of consumer food insecurity. This study contributes to an important body of research analyzing how different elements of a food system respond to disruptive events. The policy and planning recommendations and lessons learned from this study can provide a framework for this and other universities to develop the resilience of their food system.