National reality of 2020 vegetable production and consumption, in COVID-19 times

ABSTRACT

In the present complex socioeconomical and sanitary context, with the aim of having updated information on the national reality of vegetable production and consumption, of the Argentinian population's preferences and consumption habits of vegetables as well as the changes produced in their diet due to the global COVID-19 pandemics, a national survey, titled "Trends in the consumption of vegetables in Argentina in Coronavirus times" was carried out obtaining 1694 responses. The Argentinian population has had a great inclination to start growing, urban family gardens in this new context;it has clear consumption preferences, it values the benefits of consuming vegetables for health reasons and considers it has an adequate proportion of vegetables in its diet. However, the survey shows that real consumption is much lower than that recommended by national and international entities arises from the survey. Therefore, there is a great asymmetry between what the population believes it consumes and what it actually eats. This fact implies intensifying actions towards raising greater awareness of these differences and promoting adequate consumption of quantity, quality and diversity of vegetables to improve well-being, reduce the risk of developing illnesses and benefit the population's life quality by various organizations and institutions.