La Asamblea General de las Naciones, en su 74.º período de sesiones, proclamó el 2021 como Año Internacional de las Frutas y Verduras.
The primary role of the food and agriculture sector is to adequately provide food to people by increasing the availability, affordability and consumption of a variety of safe and nutritious foods that meet dietary recommendations and environmental sustainability criteria.
In this way, the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables offers the unique opportunity to raise awareness of the importance of fruits and vegetables for human nutrition, food security and health, and for the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Many other activities will take place during the year and will be published in the dedicated events section of the International Year website: https://www.fao.org/fruits-vegetables-2021/en/
We want to join this initiative by spreading the word about this great campaign that positively affects a large majority of our customers in the sector.
The official slogan of the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables is.
“Fruits and vegetables, essential elements of your diet”, this slogan highlights the importance of fresh produce as a contribution to good health and nutrition.
Ensuring that they are accessible, affordable and within everyone’s reach is fundamental to achieving food security and combating malnutrition.
In addition to promoting international efforts to boost fruit and vegetable production and value chains in a sustainable and safe manner; special attention will be given to the need to reduce losses and wastage in fruit and vegetable supply chains from production to consumption; and relevant stakeholders will be invited to strengthen the capacity of developing countries to adopt innovative approaches and technologies to combat fruit and vegetable loss and wastage.
In addition, special attention will be paid to the role of women, not only in food production, but also in ensuring food security for their families and communities.
Key Message
The following is the list of key messages to be disseminated on the occasion of the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables (2021).
1. Harness the goodness Fruits and vegetables offer multiple health benefits, such as strengthening the immune system, which are essential for combating malnutrition in all its forms and for the overall prevention of non-communicable diseases.
2. Living a life accordingly, a diverse diet Adequate amounts of fruits and vegetables should be consumed daily, as part of a healthy and diversified diet.
3. Respect farm-to-table food The highly perishable nature of fruits and vegetables requires that special attention be paid to the product to maintain its quality and safety through proper treatment and handling throughout the supply chain, from production to consumption, and to minimize loss and waste.
4. Innovate, grow, reduce food loss and waste Innovation, improved technologies and infrastructure are crucial to increase efficiency and productivity in fruit and vegetable supply chains to reduce loss and waste.
5. Foster sustainability Sustainable and inclusive value chains can help increase production and the availability, safety, affordability, and equitable access to fruits and vegetables to foster economic, social, and environmental sustainability.
6. Growing prosperity Growing fruits and vegetables can improve the quality of life for family farmers and their communities. It generates income, creates livelihoods, improves food security and nutrition, and enhances resilience through sustainable management of local resources and increased agrobiodiversity.
Our Sector
A set of measures has been developed for various sectors to promote the consumption of fruits and vegetables and raise awareness of their various health benefits.
In particular to farmers, empowering them, especially small and family farmers, to join short chain markets to increase their profitability, while implementing strategies to reduce the costs of fruit and vegetable production.
For their part, they should also seek opportunities for diversification and move towards a more sustainable production system. Cooperatives can support farmers’ transition by providing training and improving their connection to markets.
Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and cooperatives working directly with farmers should share best practices in pest prevention and management and provide farmers with practical support in implementing these practices. They can coordinate actions among different stakeholders, especially at the local level.
Civil society and NGOs should create networks and action groups to work in an organized manner to promote the availability, accessibility and affordability of fruits and vegetables.
Governments and policy makers should implement coherent public policies that ensure the stability of the food supply chain and logistical linkages, so that there is always availability, particularly of fruits and vegetables, especially for the most vulnerable population.
The private sector must promote and implement initiatives, such as corporate social responsibility, to encourage fruit and vegetable consumption.
We all have a role to play: from governments and private sector companies to the general public and even young people.
We can all work together to make a difference and ensure that fruits and vegetables are part of everyone’s diet to promote healthy habits and eradicate hunger and malnutrition from the planet.
In the remainder of this 2021, through digital channels, we at Bandex will spread the word about this initiative as much as possible.
We can once again highlight the importance of fruits and vegetables and call on everyone to start thinking about the collective responsibility to ensure that fruits and vegetables are available, accessible, affordable and encourage their consumption.
Help us spread the message through digital channels!
