Factors related to Quinoa Consumption in Peru during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Quinoa is a traditional food grain that originated in the Peruvian Andean region. The United Nations declared 2013 to be the International Year of Quinoa (iyq). This official launch had a great impact around the world. On the contrary, it had minor impact on the consumption of quinoa in Peru, which remained relatively steady in the following years. However, the covid-19 pandemic raised concerns about nutrition and health among consumers. Therefore, this study seeks to analyze quinoa consumption in Peru during the covid-19 pandemic. Primary data were collected between September 2020 and August 2021 in Lima Metropolitan Area, Peru. Exploratory factor analysis with varimax rotation was performed for data analysis, and logistic binomial analysis was then conducted to consolidate the hypothesis of this study. The main outcomes identified were that (i) current quinoa consumers in Peru ate quinoa even before the iyq; (ii) consumers who are concerned about their health and nutrition needs increased quinoa consumption during the pandemic; (iii) women showed a higher probability of daily to weekly trend in quinoa consumption; and (iv) people with the highest income have more probability of purchasing food at supermarkets than those who earn less. The findings of this study can shed some light on consumers’ expectations and perceptions regarding quinoa consumption behavior during covid-19.