Matteo Garuti, collaborator de The Journal of Food, is a food journalist, sommelier and olive oil taster. He also talks about his passion for food on his blog www.matteogaruti.com .
According to Matteo, in recent months, those who turned to food communication were guided above all by the desire to escape from information dominated by news on the pandemic. The research has focused a lot on recipes even if the in-depth study on occupational, economic and social issues related to catering has retained its pool of readers.
How did you deal with this pandemic and the consequent great difficulty in the restaurant sector with your newspaper? Have you in any way changed your usual narrative? Have you carried out any particular initiatives to describe this very particular period?
"Our agenda has certainly changed, and we soon realized that the attention of readers was focusing more and more on the pandemic and the issues related to it, but over time the desire to get out of the media monopoly dictated by the COVID-19.
With the first wave, we mainly dealt with the repercussions on catering due to forced closures, carrying out a series of interviews that involved both the operators and the reference associations of food production. At the same time, we gave more space to the recipes, considering that during the lockdown the time dedicated to cooking increased significantly, but also that this choice would have helped to ease the tension, with softer arguments.
With the passing of the months, and especially with the second wave, we have further investigated the possible solutions to favor the resumption of catering, trying to offer, as far as possible, a proactive vision to the readers. Also in this case we resorted to interviews, to directly collect the impressions and ideas of those who work in the sector ».
From your point of view, how do you think the food and catering companies (food companies, but also chefs, restaurants etc) communicated in this period?
«Overall, the companies did what they could, considering that they found themselves facing an unprecedented situation, made even more complicated by the alternation of openings and closings. As part of the initiatives carried out, we have for example dealt with successful experiments in the field of delivery and e-commerce ».
And how did your readers react? Have you noticed a greater sensitivity to certain issues related to the world of food? In your opinion, has there been an increase in attention to this sector?
«During the first lockdown, characterized by a notable return to the kitchen and to the stove, interest in recipes certainly increased. In my opinion, those who have turned to food communication in recent months have been guided above all by the desire to escape from information dominated by the pandemic, even if the in-depth study on employment, economic and social issues related to catering has retained its own pool of readers ".
After the pandemic, and when finally we can really talk about a restart, how do you think communication in the food sector will change? Which channels should be privileged and which ones have had their day?
"I don't think that the use of food communication will change significantly when the pandemic is over, but perhaps even after the Covid era, the habit of watching videos and video interviews conducted online will favor the maintenance of these methods, the popularity of which has grown in recent months" .
Do you have any future projects that you want to anticipate related to your newspaper or your professional life?
“Unfortunately, our newspaper has undergone a downsizing following the pandemic, so the hope is that in the not too distant future there is the possibility of returning to the previous situation.
With regard to my professional activities, this long period of confinement has certainly offered the opportunity to reflect and think about new projects, and not only in terms of food. Remaining in the agri-food sector, I would like to continue to train and increase my knowledge, as I have done since I entered this world, following specific professional courses. In my case, however, even out of necessity, food journalism is not the only work done and for me interdisciplinarity has always been a vocation, as well as a passion ».
