From → After Corona. Our Evolving Eating Habits [1]Not Just Remote Drinking Parties?! How COVID-19 Has Changed Our Eating Habits
Even toasting a cute junior colleague's wedding online!
One night in June at 9 PM, I barely finished dinner before taking my PC, leftover side dishes, beer, and wine to my college-student daughter's room, where I occupied it until past midnight. Why? Well, as you've probably already guessed, it was to join a remote drinking party.
The theme that day was celebrating a junior colleague's wedding.
It was a girls' night among five managers from our company's baseball team. We all downloaded and prepared a background image featuring pink hearts with "Happy Wedding!" written on them beforehand. We had already arranged for a bottle of rosé sparkling wine and rose-scented bath salts to be delivered to the newlywed honoree's home that day.
During the party, we shared a screen showing a PowerPoint presentation created by a young female planner. It featured a list of questions for the newlyweds, complete with flying red hearts. We spent over three hours enjoying lively girl talk.
It goes without saying that the ability to do all these things we used to do at real gatherings, without anyone stepping outside their homes, is entirely thanks to the development of the internet and e-commerce. But there was another major catalyst. Yes, that was the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Over 10% of people started holding remote drinking parties due to the pandemic
Four months have passed since the "State of Emergency" declaration due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, and Dentsu Inc. has been working remotely for five months. Although the declaration has been lifted, I myself have spent almost all this time at home—I've only ridden the train once in these five months. My work style, of course, and my eating habits have changed dramatically.
Communication with others, unable to meet in person, shifted almost entirely online. Conversations with family and friends, meetings, hosting and attending seminars, and even drinking parties.
Dentsu Inc. had introduced remote work even before the pandemic, but not everyone fully utilized the system. While online communication tools existed previously, their use for participating in meetings from home was limited.
The prevailing sentiment that "meetings require face-to-face interaction" was certainly a factor. But more significantly, I believe it stemmed largely from an inability to effectively utilize these online systems in the first place.
However, the situation changed dramatically when the novel coronavirus began to rage. One day, suddenly (or so it felt), we were told we couldn't gather for meetings, couldn't come to the office, and were forced into an environment where connecting online was the only option.
This made seamless online connectivity an absolute necessity. Even those generations who previously felt uncomfortable with such systems had no choice. Even someone with low IT literacy like myself ended up hosting an online seminar by May. I personally realized that when pushed to the wall, people can do it!
According to a survey*¹ by Dentsu Inc.'s "Food Lifestyle Lab" (hereafter Food Lab), over 10% of respondents reported having more online meals or drinking gatherings after the state of emergency declaration. Since the majority of respondents were in their 40s and 50s, they are certainly not digital natives. Yet, the desire to connect with distant people likely drove these results. Food is also a vital communication tool. The pandemic has led us to gain new food experiences.
The Hard-Hit Restaurant Industry
The shift to online gatherings naturally impacted the restaurant industry. According to an ACR survey※2, "visiting restaurants" ranked first among "decreased activities" not only within a 50-kilometer radius of Tokyo but nationwide, and across both the 12-69 age group and the 70-74 age group, with figures exceeding 75%.
The aforementioned Shokurabo survey also revealed that "eating out" decreased the most after the state of emergency declaration, while "eating at home" and "opportunities to eat with family" increased.
The restaurant industry is a vital pillar supporting Japan's food culture. As someone who loves eating, dining out is one of my greatest pleasures. Therefore, every time I hear about restaurant closures due to the impact of the novel coronavirus outbreak, I feel deeply saddened.
Simultaneously, it goes without saying that producers, wholesalers, trading companies, and manufacturers who primarily supplied ingredients to these restaurants have also suffered significant blows.
I regularly update an internal report titled "Impact and Changes on Food Due to the Novel Coronavirus Outbreak and Case Studies"*3. Among the over 200 food-related cases compiled there, the most common are those "supporting people in need through food." Many examples involve helping struggling restaurants and producers, clearly showing that many people are trying to address the social challenges right before their eyes.
In our own small way, Food Lab partnered with 47CLUB*4 during Golden Week to launch the "Connect Through Delicious Food" campaign with 32 regional newspapers nationwide. This initiative aimed to support local producers while offering comfort to those unable to return home and see their families. We received an overwhelming number of responses.
Implementation/Collaboration/Information: 47CLUB Advertising: 32 Regional Newspapers Nationwide / Dentsu Inc. Media Services / Newspaper Division
This social challenge will likely persist for some time. And it's certainly not something that will be easily resolved. But we firmly believe that the thoughts and actions of each individual like this are undoubtedly becoming a source of strength for those in need.
(For insights on how our approach to social issues has changed due to experiences during the pandemic, please also read: "Thinking Through Food: The Key to Solving Social Issues Revealed by the Pandemic" / "How Changes in Diet During the Pandemic Brought Us Closer to the SDGs ")
The Growing Enjoyment of Home Cooking During Stay-at-Home Periods
According to the aforementioned ACR survey, among those aged 12 to 69, the top "increased activity" due to the novel coronavirus outbreak was "time spent at home," with nearly 80% reporting this change. While many voiced frustrations like having to cook more often because family members who would normally be out for work or school were all home constantly, or finding it tedious to plan meals every day, it's also true that some expressed happiness about having more opportunities to share meals together as a family, or that the increased time at home allowed them to make more elaborate dishes.
While experiences varied depending on factors like living alone or having children at home, it's fair to say that "food" played a significant role in daily life and existed as one of life's pleasures. I feel that even during the pandemic, "food" served as a switch to positivity, as if encouraging people to enjoy their home life.
For instance, reports from Vaz, which operates the cooking photo SNS "SnapDish," show increased parent-child cooking time, meals eaten in unusual places like balconies, more baking and pastry-making, and higher frequency of hot plate use for family takoyaki parties.
According to Intage SRI data, the top 30 consumer goods (not limited to food) by sales value from late March to April compared to the previous year*5 included: 6th place flour (210.8% year-on-year as of the 3rd week of April), 7th place whipped cream (205.6%), and 20th place butter (158.9%). News reports of hotcake mix selling out repeatedly further support the trend of increased bread and dessert making, where people deliberately invest more time and effort. This shift has even spawned the term "time-consuming cooking" (時間長料理), contrasting with the longstanding demand for "time-saving cooking" (時短料理).
During the pandemic, numerous initiatives emerged from chefs, food experts, and companies encouraging people to enjoy home-cooked meals. Furthermore, the aforementioned "Food Lifestyle Lab" survey found that 20-30% of respondents increased their consumption of frozen foods, retort pouch foods, and instant foods after the state of emergency declaration. However, 80% of those who increased frozen food consumption and over 50% of those who increased other types expressed a desire to continue this habit even after the situation subsides. It seems likely that new foods discovered during this time will make regular appearances on dining tables going forward.
Food is our cornerstone for building strong minds and bodies resilient to COVID-19, for maintaining communication without close contact, and for enriching our home lives.
The novel coronavirus remains a threat to us even now. For the foreseeable future, life with COVID-19 will continue, requiring us to maintain social distancing and hygiene.
To liven up remote gatherings (and meetings), Shokurabo has uploaded wallpapers (background images) created by four of our art directors to our website. Anyone can download them for free, so please feel free to use them.
In addition to the aforementioned collaboration with 47CLUB, we are exploring new initiatives to continue supporting restaurants and to enrich new ways of enjoying home-cooked meals and connecting with distant loved ones.
We hope to share more about these next time.
※1 Source: Consumer Survey on Changes in Eating Habits During the Novel Coronavirus Pandemic (Dentsu "Food Lifestyle Lab" Research / Target: 300 individuals aged 20-59 in Tokyo and Osaka / Research Firm: Do House Inc.)
※2 Source: Consumer Awareness Survey During the 'COVID-19 Pandemic' ~Based on ACR/ex Panel Survey~
(Sample: 12,342 men and women aged 12-69 / 643 men and women aged 70-74; Areas: Tokyo 50km radius / Kansai region / Nagoya region / Northern Kyushu region / Sapporo region / Sendai region)
※3 Collected dining and drinking examples related to COVID-19 since late February and compiled as a report for Dentsu Inc. and its group companies.
※An e-commerce site where you can purchase locally produced goods recommended by regional newspapers in all 47 prefectures
https://www.47club.jp/
※5 Source: Toyo Keizai ONLINE (Source: INTAGE SRI)
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Author
Yoko Oya
Dentsu Inc.
In the Marketing Planning Division, he was responsible for developing communication strategies for companies primarily in the food, beverage, and pharmaceutical sectors. After serving as a project leader for wellness and food education initiatives at DENTSU SOKEN INC., he established and became the director of the "Food Lifestyle Lab" in 2010. Through uncovering consumer insights via "food," he lectures at various study groups and seminars, participates in corporate product and service development, and handles media interviews, contributes articles, and gives speeches for television, newspapers, and other outlets. Served as a member of administrative and fiscal reform promotion committees for prefectures and municipalities, as well as committee members for government ministries and agencies. Launched "Dentsu Inc. Team SDGs" in 2018. As an SDGs consultant, provides sustainability communication support to companies, while also lecturing at various seminars and contributing articles.
