Changing consumption behaviour towards immune-boosting food amidst COVID- 19 outbreak: tracing the future trajectory

Businesses throughout the world have been affected by the coronavirus outbreak. Across countries and industries, small firms have suffered, and India is no different. While many enterprises were destroyed by the COVID-19 scenario, hundreds of others were able to cope. People are getting increasingly concerned about their physical and emotional health as the coronavirus pandemic spreads around the world. People's perspectives on life and what they value have altered. Consumers have been compelled to alter their routines as a result of the outbreak. People throughout the world are attempting to adapt to a new normal. Immune-Boosting foods have become the talk of the town amidst the pandemic. With this backdrop, the present study aimed to understand the demand for ImmuneBoosting foods and the factors that have contributed to the market for immune-boosting foods. The sample data for this study was collected using the purposive sampling technique. Statistical interventions using multiple linear regression and correlation were conducted to understand the relationship between various factors related to immuneboosting foods. The study revealed that the pandemic had increased the respondents’ inclination to purchase Immune-Boosting foods. Further, the inclination towards consumption of immune-boosting foods was influenced by independent variables like familiarity with immune-boosting foods, health consciousness, fear of contracting the disease, family testing COVID-19 positive, immune-boosting foods as a trending topic, Influence of social media, Frequent advertisements and offers, testimonials of others regarding Immune-Boosting foods. From the study, it can be inferred that the COVID-19 pandemic has laid a strong foundation for the future of immune-boosting foods.