COVID-19 Impacts on Food Security and Systems: A Third Survey of Vermonters

This brief report highlights the findings from a third survey of Vermonters since COVID-19. We surveyed 600 Vermonters, representative on Vermont demographics on race, ethnicity and income in August and September 2020. We find that nearly 30% of Vermont respondent households were food insecure between March and September, with households experiencing a job disruption, households with children, and respondents without a college degree at greater odds for food insecurity. One-third of respondents used some type of food assistance program since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Concerns about food access and challenges had largely gone down, on average since March 2020; however, concerns about the cost of food and losing access to food assistance programs have gone up since March 2020. We also identify impacts on diet quality, with 25% of respondents overall, and 50% of respondents in households with food insecurity, indicating they ate fewer fruits and vegetables since COVID-19. We also document a large number of respondents (42%) engaging in home food procurement (fishing, foraging, hunting, gardening) since COVID-19, with many doing this for the first time or more intensely this year. These results highlight the depth of COVID-19\u27s impact on food security and systems over time in Vermont

The Fruits of Labor: Home Food Procurement Impacts Food Security, Diet Quality and Mental Health During COVID-19

COVID-19 has highlighted the uncertainty and fragility of food security and food access globally. In the United States, unemployment rates reached unprecedented levels at their height in April 2020 (Congressional Research Service, 2020), causing concerns among many Americans about how to access affordable and high-quality food (Callen, 2020). In a rural state such as Vermont, these concerns are especially pressing, as rural areas are estimated to have 50% higher rates of food insecurity than urban areas (Piontak et al., 2014). The stress of this unprecedented period has also had an effect on the mental well-being of many Americans. In a survey from the United States Census Bureau from May 2020, early in the pandemic, respondents reported feeling anxious 30% of the time, and more than 18% reported feeling depressed (Callen, 2020). Opportunities to both improve mental health and food security are thus vital during this pandemic period. Existing evidence suggests that home food procurement (i.e. backyard livestock, fishing, foraging, gardening, hunting, and canning, and backyard livestock production, hereafter referred to as HFP) may offer opportunities to improve diet quality, food security, and mental health via multiple mechanisms. This project explored whether interest and engagement in these activities has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic and if such strategies are providing these health and mental health outcomes

Employment and Food During Coronavirus

Key Findings 1. 45% of respondents with jobs experienced some type of job disruption or loss. 19.7% had a reduction in hours or income, 9.3% had been furloughed, and 15.5% had lost their job since the coronavirus outbreak. 2. 38.5% of respondents experiencing job loss or disruption since the outbreak were classified as food insecure. 3. Respondents experiencing job disruption or loss were significantly more likely to be already implementing food purchasing or eating changes and concerned about food access compared to those who did not experience a change in employment. 4. Respondents with job disruption or loss were significantly more likely to need higher amounts of money per week to help meet their basic needs if they could no longer afford food ($100 with a reduction in hours/income,$107 furloughed, $158 with job loss, compared to$82 with no job impact)

The Impact of Coronavirus on Vermonters Experiencing Food Insecurity

Key Findings 1. Respondents experiencing food insecurity were more likely to be people of color, female, live in households with children, and live in larger households. 2. 84.2% of respondents who experienced food insecurity at some point in the year before the coronavirus pandemic remained food insecure during the early days of the outbreak. 3. The majority of respondents experiencing food insecurity are not utilizing food assistance programs. 4. ⅔ of respondents experiencing food insecurity are already buying different, cheaper foods or eating less to make their food last. 5. ⅔ of respondents experiencing food insecurity with a job had job disruption or loss since the coronavirus outbreak. 6. Vermonters are helping each other – there was a reported doubling in the percentage of people receiving their food via delivery from other people

Food Access and Security During Coronavirus: A Vermont Study

Key Findings 1. Respondents reported a 33% increase in food insecurity since the coronavirus outbreak began in Vermont (from 18% to 24%). 2. 45% of respondents with jobs experienced a job disruption or loss. 3. Respondents said the most helpful actions for meeting their food needs would be increased trust in the safety of going to stores and more food in stores. 4. Respondents worried most about food becoming unaffordable and running out of food if they were unable to go out. 5. Vermonters are using a variety of strategies to adapt: a majority of respondents are at least somewhat likely to buy foods that don\u27t go bad quickly (90%); buy different, cheaper foods (69%); and stretch the food they have by eating less (52%)

Food Security Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Following a Group of Vermonters During the First Year

We surveyed a cohort of Vermonters three times during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic to understand the impacts of the pandemic on food security and food access. The surveys were conducted in March/April 2020, June 2020, and March/April 2021. A total of 441 Vermonters responded to all three surveys. This brief shares changes in their experiences between March 2020 and March 2021. Key findings include: 1. Food insecurity rates increased during the pandemic and remained above pre-pandemic levels a year after the start of the pandemic. 2. 31.6% of respondents experienced food insecurity at some point in the first year of the pandemic. Of those, 46.9% were food insecure before the pandemic, but over half (53.1%) were newly food insecure. Of the respondents who experienced food insecurity at any point during the pandemic, 61.9% were still food insecure in March 2021. 3. People without a college degree, those with a job disruption, households with children, women, and younger people had greater odds of experiencing food insecurity in March 2021. 4. Fewer respondents were using federal food assistance programs and food pantries in March 2021 compared to earlier in the pandemic. 5. More than half of respondents (54.2%) reported suffering a job disruption (i.e. job loss, reduction in work hours or income, furlough) since March 2020 and 18.4% were still experiencing a job disruption in March 2021. 6. Vermonters today are less concerned about food becoming more expensive and possible loss of food assistance programs compared to earlier in the pandemic

COVID-19 Impacts on Vermont Farms and Food Businesses: Pivots, Needs and Opportunities for the Future

This report highlights results from a survey of Vermont farm and food businesses conducted during August and September 2020, with a total of 223 respondents. The survey was distributed via a number of non-profit, business, and state agencies in Vermont. Respondents included farms, food and farm product retail, agritourism operators, on-farm food processors, food and beverage manufacturers, nurseries/greenhouses/garden centers, and food hubs/aggregators. Overall, we find the majority of respondents experienced a COVID-19 business impact, especially in market and financial ways. We also find that the majority of respondents had business changes they wanted to make, but couldn\u27t because of a lack of financial resources, inadequate equipment, or personal challenges. While the majority of respondents didn\u27t apply for COVID-19 grants and programs, those that did were significantly more likely to agree they had the financial resources to make necessary business changes. We also identify help recovery strategies including the need for market assistance to shift to online platforms. Finally, we identify that the majority of respondents indicated perceived stress at the time of the survey, further highlighting the need for mental health resources related to COVID-19. We discuss future opportunities for recovery efforts and resilience in the Vermont food system

The Impact of COVID-19 on the Local Food System: Early findings from Vermont

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has affected people worldwide, disrupting food access and security. To understand how food systems and security are impacted during this pandemic, an online survey was launched in Vermont from March 29th - April 12th, 2020 (less than a week after the Governor’s Stay Home/Stay Safe order). A total of 3,219 Vermonters responded, and nearly half provided written comments in response to open-ended questions about worries or general remarks. This brief summarizes survey findings and respondent comments relevant to the local food system, specifically local farms and direct-to-consumer sales, home food production, foraging, hunting, and fishing. Other aspects of the local food system, such as processing and distribution are not covered. Key findings include: 1. 69% of respondents purchased some food directly from farmers in the year prior to the pandemic, but only 15% did in the early weeks of the pandemic (though these represent different timeframes). 2. Respondents described economic, health, and safety benefits of local food production, and expressed worries about local farm viability during and after the pandemic. 3. 53% of respondents produced, foraged, hunted, or canned some of their own food in the year prior to the pandemic and 31% were engaged in these activities in the first month of the pandemic; more reported plans to grow some of their own food if they could access supplies. 4. People who purchased from local farms and/or engaged in home production were more likely to be food secure

COVID-19 and Food Insecurity Impacts: A Follow Up Vermont Study

This brief report details the results from a follow-up survey of 1,236 Vermonters in June 2020, after an initial survey in March/April 2020 focused on the impact of COVID-19 on food access and security. The key results include: 1) Nearly 1 in 4 respondents (23%) were classified as food insecure in June, a reported 22% decrease since March, but higher than before COVID-19. 2) People of color, those without a college degree, those with a job loss, households with children, women, and younger people had greater odds of experiencing food insecurity. 3) The majority of respondent households had experienced some job loss or disruption in the last 30 days, and were still experiencing job changes at the time of the survey. 4) People receiving unemployment were significantly more likely to be using multiple food assistance programs compared to others. 5) Respondents significantly increased use of food assistance programs since March. 6) Vermonters today have greater concerns about food becoming more expensive and possible loss of food assistance programs compared to June. 7) Vermonters today are facing fewer perceived challenges in food access and have fewer worries about food availability compared to March