World meat industry news

The outbreak of the novel coronavirus has caused a soar in online food orders, Izvestia reported citing industry groups.

Food sales showed the biggest growth in February, by almost 25% in monetary terms, according to the head of the Delovaya Rossiya (Business Russia) Trade Committee Alexei Fedorov.

“The coronavirus scare has become another impetus for interest in purchasing food online, since many people are trying to avoid public places,” he said.

For his part, Artem Sokolov, CEO of the Association of Internet Commerce Companies (AKIT), told the paper that food sales were one of the fastest growing segments. It enables customers not to show up in crowded places and limit coming in contact with other people, he noted.

The press service of the OZON online shop confirmed to Izvestia that the company had recorded an increase in sales as well.

“Apparently, many people are trying to limit the number of visits to public places, including shopping malls and supermarkets, which contributes to the popularity of online shopping and order content. In addition to the soaring demand for personal care products, for example, antiseptic gels, we are also seeing an increase in demand for domestic leisure goods,” the company said.