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Online grocery delivery services (OGDS) provided a way to reduce physical contact with others during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, OGDS may not have been equally available to all households and may have exacerbated health inequalities. Pre-pandemic, OGDS use was more prevalent among higher-income households and was associated with some healthier purchasing behaviours. This study aimed to explore whether there were differences in the sociodemographic patterning of OGDS use and online grocery purchases, before and during the pandemic.

Item-level take-home food and drink purchase data were obtained from the UK Kantar Fast Moving Consumer Goods Panel. Households were randomly sampled if residing in London and the North of England (n=1,245). Purchases from the early stages of the pandemic [23/03/2020–14/06/2020] (n=636,762), during the UK’s …