Food Purchase Prioritization During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Latin America

The paper determines the prioritization of household food purchases during the COVID-19 pandemic confinement in Latin America. This is a multicenter, cross-sectional study. An online questionnaire including sociodemographic, socioeconomic, and food purchasing prioritization information was sent through digital platforms. A total of 6,357 individuals participated; 83.6% were women, 56.3% belonged to the middle socioeconomic level. Low socioeconomic level was correlated with high prioritization of rice/pasta, potatoes, cookies, sugar/bread, flours, and sweets. The higher the socioeconomic level, the higher the purchasing of alcohol, nuts, vegetables, and meats. Purchase prioritization is related to the socioeconomic level of the participants.