A study conducted by the Pennington Biomedical Research Centre in the United States found that obesity, anxiety and leisure activities have increased drastically in the lockdown period.
The lockdown and social distancing had confined people to their homes. With the lack of physical activity, irregular sleep schedule and constant munching have led to increased weight and unhealthy lifestyle. The University of Buffalo had also revealed that during the lockdown people slept more and ate an extra meal every day, even checked out their exercise routine.
However, people have started realising that the excess weight gain is not easily reversible also there is no way they can lose weight with physical activity during pandemic. Obesity and unhealthy routine increases the risk of diseases especially Covid-19 by 48%, stated the University of North Carolina.
Even before lockdown, people used to intake unhealthy practices ate junk food, processed and packed food. In contrary, Covid -19 has stopped people from going out and buying such stuff. It has resulted in a 22.3% decrease in cholesterol among people, revealed the Platform Healthians.
These passing pandemic months have forced people to resort to healthier options which have led to drastic changes in their diet. People who were ‘food maniacs’ and could not imagined their lives without junk food are now cooking and eating nutritious food. Home-cooked food has resulted in a healthy and strong nutritious system.
During lockdown, mostly people have started eating healthy bakery items like grains and nuts. The Global Bakery Processing Equipment Market is also expecting an increase in sales of 5.7% by 2026. The bakery products have a high proportion of healthy ingredients and fit the requirements of the people.
In order to save themselves from the coronavirus, most of them have avoided ordering food from outside and even the restaurants had been forced shut due to the lockdown. This has led them to lay off employees and cut the budgets.
However, with the phases of unlocks, some restaurants are in operation but people are still sceptical about eating unhealthy products as it increases chances of getting affected. Some people are even daring enough to consume street food and ordered food but what stops them is the hygiene and the conditions in which the it is prepared.
In order to tackle the situations and get the industry on the track, restaurants have innovated their ways of cooking and delivering. It is important for businesses to understand that markets are consumer-oriented, ie. the consumer is the king and they have to keep evolving according to the demand.
In abroad, the restaurants have started focusing on drive-through and not dine-in. This allows the customers to not fear getting infected but get their food in hand and drive off. Canlis in Seattle has narrowed down its menu to a limited variety and is focusing more on the drive-through system. This method has appeared effective as they have successfully sold 500 bagels in one and a half hour.
Some restaurants are focusing on contact-free food. They have employed robots for cooking and delivering. The Creator in San Francisco had fully covered their restaurant to not allows outside air to pass through. The guests are supposed to place orders through phone calls and pick their orders from a conveyor belt installed outside the restaurant.
In India, China Bistro in Mumbai had launched a live streaming session of the kitchen with around 15-25 guests. It is a new party format where the menu will be served in a new way. You will see your dishes being cooked live in the kitchen with the ingredients being put and the dish being served on the plate. This would assure the customer of the safety measure used by the restaurant and encourage them to purchase their products more often. While some restaurants have even provided their customers with a virtual dining setting.
Such innovations in the culinary industry with the safety protocols would encourage the customers of buying from the right place. Food is the necessity of life, however, the quantity and the quality depends on us. No doubt with such advances the sector is expected to grow in the future but so will our stomach. Home-made nutritious food is the best option to go with but in emergencies, restaurants can prove to be the best alternative.
