Unhealthy Diet During the Pandemic: Evidence from a Delivery Platform

Lockdown policy and case disclosure during the COVID-19 pandemic can influence human behavior and health outcomes. We investigate how individuals' daily dietary patterns were affected by the lockdown policy and the case disclosure in Singapore during the COVID-19 pandemic. Employing a large dataset from a Singapore-based food delivery platform, we find that people ate less healthily during the lockdown period caused by COVID-19. Specifically, the probability of vegetable ordering dropped by 15.4%, barbecue/fried food ordering probability increased by 10.8%, and beverage ordering probability increased by 3.9% relative to the pre-lockdown period. The effects were persistent even after the lockdown was lifted. Besides, a higher number of disclosed COVID-19 cases is also associated with unhealthier eating habits. The results suggest that individuals and governments need to pay close attention to eating habits and mental health during and after the pandemic.