Introduction:

The COVID-19 pandemic induced substantial transformations in food systems and food security (FI) worldwide.

Objective:

To determine whether sociodemographic and food preferences are associated with FI during the COVID-19 pandemic in Chile.

Materials and methods:

Cross-sectional study, the online questionnaire included sociodemographic, food security (Household Food Security Scale) and food purchase prioritization questions. Logistic regression analyses were applied to identify associations, adjusting for relevant variables. A p-value < 0.05 was considered significant.

Results:

The study included 1,114 participants, 38.3% of the sample had some degree of FI; conversely, higher level of education was associated with lower FI. Similarly, time spent in quarantine was also associated with elevated FI, and being unemployed, self-employed, a student or housewife, and living with young children increased the likelihood of AI especially in the fifth week of quarantine. In terms of dietary intake, sugar (OR=1.71; 95% CI 1.30-2.24), rice and pasta (OR=1.52; 95% CI 1.06-2.18) and sausages (OR=1.42; 95% CI 1.07-1.89) were the highest priority foods among those with FI.

Conclusions:

FI in Chile during the pandemic was associated with social inequalities, educational level and employment status. In addition, FI was associated with food prioritization, favoring products of lower nutritional value.