Survey: Despite COVID-19, food consumption remains steady in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Findings from a recent study (Aug 2020) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia suggest that telephone surveys reporting falling incomes amid the COVID-19 pandemic should be viewed with caution.

‘While a majority of people have reported lower incomes in recent months, overall food consumption in our most recent survey (conducted in early August) was comparable to pre-pandemic levels, though with shifts in dietary composition,’ the authors note.

‘These results indicate that it is easy to read too much into survey questions regarding subjective changes in incomes in the pandemic, and that many food value chains in Ethiopia have continued to function relatively well in the crisis.’