How Do We Eat in a Pandemic? : (German Media Coverage of the COVID-19 Crisis and Food)

The Covid-19 pandemic as a global crisis had numerous impacts on the food system. As the pandemic proceeded, this topic was broadly taken up by local and national newspapers in Germany. Questions of (global) food supply chains, expected food shortages, and food security were raised, as well as questions on how the pandemic would and did change consumers food choices and eating habits. This paper analyses the media coverage of how Corona influenced narratives on food, diets and nutrition in Germany. It provides a general overview, which food related topics were addressed during the two lockdowns in 2020 and 2021, using the concept of framing to analyse the data. As most of the analysed articles centred around the fragilities of the food system and the various effects the pandemic and the associated lockdowns had on people’s consumption choices or options respectively, the paper takes class-related stratification into account. The media narratives regarding food and corona are presented alongside the different stages of the food system.