This COVID-19 lockdown, in one way or another, is driving us crazy, isn't it? However, I think a new and interesting phenomenon is emerging. In addition to having a routine at home to be able to make life as bearable as possible, many people who used to have breakfast, lunch or dinner outside their homes, now eat at home, making it necessary to cook.
Concerned also about not gaining weight due to a lack of physical exercise, people have turned to cook with fresh products, which also allows for creativity. There is time to cook leisurely, to try new ingredients and flavors, and to enjoy it. We may even now become more like gourmet chefs.
When the COVID-19 lockdown started, egg sales increased in several countries, which put pressure on producers, because hens cannot produce more. It is not about increasing the speed of the machines or having more shifts. For example, in Argentina, CAPIA (the local egg producers association) just reported that household consumption of eggs rose 40%. There were Spanish companies that registered sales that tripled what was normal. And then, the evident price increase led to extremes of vandalism.
As for chicken, perhaps the effect has not been so pronounced. In fact, it has been already said that eggs setting in hatcheries will decrease. I am, however, impressed when I see the quantities of fresh chicken that people take home when I manage to "escape" to buy something at the market. People are cooking at home. It is a fact.
Yes, the hotel, restaurant and catering sectors have been badly hit, and we hope they can recover soon, for the good of all. But much of that consumption, in one way or another, has gone home, depending on what protein we are talking about.
How long will this effect last once we return to normal? We don't know. But we are going to make it and we are going to make it well. You'll see.
What do you think?
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