Rapid Qualitative Multi-Method Assessment of the Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Wet Market Biosecurity and Local Food Security in the Philippines

In the context of biosecurity, pandemic restrictions were found to be partly responsible for the decrease or even cessation in the sale of wildlife in markets known as “wildlife trade hubs.” As part of the pandemic response, only a few additional hygiene and sanitation practices were enforced at wet markets, including the use of plastic barriers and conducting more intense market disinfection. Furthermore, it was found that wet market stakeholders were excluded during the policy creation and implementation of the pandemic restrictions even as wet markets were perceived as essential services. Hence, the restrictions triggered a chain reaction across the domestic supply chain that unveiled underlying food system vulnerabilities, primarily the lack of financial capacity of small-scale producers to fully adapt and withstand sudden and prolonged disruptions to the economy. Ultimately, food prices increased, while alternative methods of food distribution such as online retailing and satellite markets emerged.