The world is currently withstanding a new wave of COVID-19 infections, as the coronavirus pandemic has infected more than 111 million people and killed more than 2.4 million globally since late January 2020. The efforts taken by many countries to mitigate the pandemic led to entire nations enforcing lockdowns, widespread halts of international travel, interruptions in trade and supply chain disruptions.

More than 181 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered across the world, with an average of nearly 6.19 million doses a day. However, many western countries are struggling to efficiently distribute them to their citizens, while the rest of the world still lacks access to any vaccine produced.

About a year ago, the WHO declared public health emergency of international concern over the outbreak of the COVID-19. So far, the pandemic has infected more than 105 million people worldwide. As per the latest IMF World Economic Outlook, vaccine approvals have raised hopes of a turnaround in the pandemic. However, the surge of new variants of the virus, as well as new waves of the pandemic, pose concerns for the outlook. Under this uncertain scenario, the global economy is projected to grow 5.5% in 2021.

In a February report on the European Union, the USDA reviewed the latest Eurobarometer on EU citizens when it comes to food expectations.

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