A snapshot of food supply chain in Wuhan under the COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose - The objective is to have a better understanding of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on food supply chain in Wuhan. Design/methodology/approach - Through a simplified flow, the authors qualitatively analyze the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on food supply chain. Data was gathered through a telephone survey of food suppliers in Wuhan. Findings - The prevention measures of the COVID-19 pandemic had negative impacts on food supply chain in Wuhan. About 83.1% of food suppliers experienced a decrease in revenues. This is influenced by factors including food category on sale, purchase channel of food, food supplier's household registration and the number of the COVID-19 patients in the located community. Research limitations/implications - Due to the limitation of available data, there is a lack of quantitative analysis on the impact on food supply chain. The sample size of food suppliers is limited. Practical implications - This study identifies the challenges in the food supply chain resulting from the control measures implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic in Wuhan and provides a reference for the design of control measures in other regions. Originality/value - This study supplements the literature regarding the impact of public health emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic on food supply chain, especially food suppliers' revenues.