'Morrisons Food Boxes' leaflet

A5 leaflet, 'Morrisons Food Boxes', advertising meat and vegetarian boxes, picked up from Morrisons, Sutton store, June 2020

Supermarket Morrisons launched their food boxes during in late March 2020 to help anyone having difficulty accessing online bookable slots or visiting stores, particularly during the first national lockdown. For £35 people could pick a meat eaters or vegetarian box filled with essential products to feed to people for one week. People could not influence the contents of the box and varied depending on what was available.

Prior and during the UK’s first lockdown beginning in March 2020, panic buying and stockpiling of many products caused shortages, leading to rationing of certain items. Some psychologists commented that the stockpiling was a result of people attempting to feel like they have control over something practical, particularly at anxious moments. Food supplies and the experience of shopping in supermarkets was markedly altered by the pandemic. It also showed how reliant supermarkets were on the “just-in time” delivery model and supply chain especially with surges in demand.