Today, GMA News and Public Affairs presents Lockdown: Food Diaries, a special documentary hosted by actor and Department of Health’s Anti-COVID19 awareness campaign ambassador Alden Richards that presents how COVID-19 changed the landscape of the food industry.
The special docu shows how food production and consumption are disrupted and transformed by this challenging time. Special focus is made as well to show the situation of food producers as they carry and transfer products; the establishments that survived and thrived during this time; and the consumers who have altered the way they shop after resorting into online order or home deliveries.
The documentary also features stories of people who were laid off but found new hope and have now become food entrepreneurs as well as celebrities who have launched their own food business during quarantine.
Most importantly, Lockdown: Food Diaries offers a glimpse into the lives of various workers in the food sector and highlights their courage and determination as they put their safety on the line just to keep the supply chain running.
Based on the preliminary numbers from the Department of Labor and Employment as of August, close to 10,000 businesses have closed across all industries, displacing a total of 180,000 workers. The food services top the list with close to 2,000 establishments ceasing operations and affecting almost 20,000 workers. In terms of losses, restaurants were also hit the hardest after suffering the sharpest dip according to reports.
To those who survived, food businesses have been forced to adapt to the “new normal” to remain afloat, mainly shifting to deliveries and take out schemes. Meanwhile, ordinary consumers have changed the way they access, prepare, and eat their food.
Lockdown: Food Diaries airs this afternoon at 3:45 on GMA.