When pandemic pandemonium left grocery shelves bare, Americans unearthed an abundant source of free nutrition in their backyards - if only they knew where to look.

Foraging wild foods surged nationwide during COVID-19 over supply chain issues, with a quarter foraging for the first time. Wild foods provide more nutrients and antioxidants than conventional produce, promoting self-reliance. Though barriers persist, supported foraging could supplement fragile food systems in future crises.

The declared COVID-19 pandemic sparked widespread shifts in food production and consumption, with many rediscovering the viability and benefits of foraging wild foods. A new study examining backyard and wild food use in upstate New York during the pandemic reveals foraging is experiencing a resurgence that may outlast the crisis.

The research found 25.5% of respondents foraged for foods like mushrooms, berries, roots, and greens. Importantly, 14.3% foraged for the first time in 2020, while 45.7% increased their foraging activities compared to pre-pandemic levels^[1]. This mirrors global trends of surging forager numbers, with some estimates finding up to a quarter of Americans ramped up wild food harvesting through the pandemic^[2]. 

These shifts indicate foraging could play an increasing role promoting self-reliance and food security worldwide. Wild foods widen access to highly nutritious resources that bypass the chemicals, processing, and price shocks plaguing globalized food chains^[3]. The World Health Organization estimates over 50% of calories produced globally rely on just three crops^[4] - a homogeneity vulnerable to disruptions that localized foraging mitigates.

Simultaneously, consumption of foraged New York foods grew substantially. Over 90% of foragers reported eating what they harvested, with over half increasing their consumption compared to 2019^[1]. Several factors likely enabled this growth nationwide, including extra free time during lockdowns, a quest for food self-sufficiency amid supply chain disruptions, and previously untapped local ecological knowledge activated in a time of crisis^[5].

The study also highlights the significant nutritional and health benefits motivating foragers. Wild foods provide an affordable source of fruits, vegetables, and nutrients often scarce in modern diets, with up to 10 times more vitamin C and polyphenols than conventional produce^[6]. They contain higher antioxidant levels with less pesticide residues than industrial agriculture crops^[7]. Foraging connects people with nature, enabling them to harvest nutritious foods while simultaneously destressing through outdoor activity. 

The pandemic unveiled frailties in America's industrialized food system, spurring more New Yorkers and Americans overall to forage as an adaptive response conferring greater self-reliance^[5]. However, foraging remains constrained by barriers like land access and guidance on safe identification and processing. State agencies and support organizations must continue tailoring programs to responsibly aid communities utilizing wild foods.

If supported properly, foraging could emerge from the pandemic newly capable of supplementing conventional systems in times of crisis^[8]. And foraging allows everyday Americans to tap into a freely available, highly nutritious food source hiding in plain sight, once the skills to find it are revived.

Interested in learning more about foraging and the profound health benefits, community-building, and connection with Nature such activities produce?

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References

[1] Coffin-Schmitt et al, Frontiers in Nutrition, 2023 

[2] Clouse, Landscape Research, 2022

[3] Delang, Progress in Development Studies, 2006

[4] WHO, 2022 

[5] Sardeshpande et al., Frontiers in Sustainable Cities, 2021

[6] Smith et al., Food Chemistry, 2022

[7] Santos et al., Food Research International, 2022 

[8] Hall, Culture, Agriculture, Food and Environment, 2021