Trends in regional consumption of vegetables in times of COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT

Healthy food that includes a diet rich in vegetables is essential for the population's health and well-being since it strengthens the immune system in order to reduce the risk of illnesses and allows for better life quality. Surveys that reflect trends in diets, mainly quantity and quality of vegetables and the dissemination of their results may represent an incentive for families, producers, institutions and the population in general to become aware of the multiple benefits of an optimal diet based on healthy and diversified food rich in vegetables of safe and known origin that increase immunity, reduce vulnerability to illnesses and contribute to a good physical state of the population. In this context, with the aim of obtaining an updated panorama of the population's vegetable consumption and production preferences and habits and the feeding changes produced in the global Covid-19 pandemic, a survey was carried out by the horticulture team (CRESCA-Centro Regional de Estudio de Cadenas Agroalimentarias) at Facultad de Agronomia (UNCPBA) within its projects and bonds. This survey will motivate actions to make the population aware of the need for adequate quantity, quality and variety of vegetable consumption which benefits its life quality, improves its well being and reduces the risk of developing illnesses as from the present global scenario.