Friday, 11 June 2021

The International Year of Fruits and Vegetables 2021: Few Issues

 All living beings for their survival have to eat. For human beings tt may be vegetarian or non-vegetarian foods. Although vegetarian and non -vegetarian foods depend on individual perceptions. Few examples are presented here.  Many eat eggs (duck, chicken or other birds) but not fish or meat as according to them ‘egg is vegetarian’. For Bengali widows garlic, onion and red- gram dal (pulse) are prohibited. Earlier the Bengali widows even did not touch these also.  When I was in Eritrea as an academician many Orthodox Christians told me ‘Milk is non-vegetarian as it comes out of the blood of the animal’.  But for Hindus in general milk is not non-vegetarian. Anyway irrespective of any religious beliefs all across the world eat fruits and vegetables. Based on the publication “FRUIT AND VEGETABLES –YOUR DIETARY ESSENTIALS: The International Year of Fruits and Vegetables 2021 Background paper” published by  Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations , Rome, this article has been written so that readers can get a general idea about the significance of the Year as well as importance of fruits and vegetables. The United Nations has declared 2021 as the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables with the aims to raise awareness of the nutritional and health benefits of consuming more fruits and vegetables as part of a diversified, balanced and healthy diet and lifestyle as well as to direct policy attention to reducing loss and waste of these highly perishable produce goods. The important point as found in the publication is that there is no widely accepted definition for either fruits or vegetables. The definition agreed to for the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables is as follows. The fruits and vegetables are considered edible parts of plants (e.g., seed bearing structures, flowers, buds, leaves, stems, shoots and roots), either cultivated or harvested wild, in their raw state or in a minimally processed form. The following items are excluded from the category of fruits and vegetables:

Ø   Starchy roots and tubers such as cassava, potato, sweet potato and yams (although leaves of these plants are consumed as vegetables).

Ø   Dry grain legumes (pulses) unless harvested when immature.

Ø   Cereals including maize (corn), unless harvested when immature.

Ø  Nuts, seeds and oilseeds such as coconuts, walnuts and sunflower seeds.

Ø  Medicinal or herbal plants and spices, unless used as vegetables.

Ø   Stimulants such as tea, cacao and coffee.

Ø   Processed and ultra-processed products made from fruits and vegetables such as alcoholic beverages (e.g. wine, spirits), plant-based meat substitutes, or fruit and vegetable products with added ingredients (e.g., packed fruit juices, ketchup).

It is observed from the publication that women produce much of the world’s fresh products, and "they are often responsible for the harvesting, marketing and processing. As consumers, they often choose what items to buy and how to cook them. But women face disadvantages at all stages in the chain – as producers in their ability to access land, inputs and advice, as entrepreneurs in getting finance to develop their businesses, as workers in terms of fair payment for their work, and as consumers in terms of education about food and nutrition". The high value of fruits and vegetables and the potential for innovation open exciting opportunities for young people to become involved in production and other aspects of the value chain as observed in the publication.

Before conclusion, the FAO Director-General may be quoted from the publication, “When we think of healthy eating, the first food items that often come to mind are fruits and vegetables – colourful, vitamin-, mineral- and fibre-rich, they are vital for the proper functioning of the human body. The benefits of consuming fruits and vegetables as part of a nutritious diet are vast. Fresh produce items are not only beneficial to consumers, but they also benefit the food system. The fruit and vegetable sector contributes to increasing biodiversity, generating environmental sustainability, and improving the livelihoods of farmers and employees operating along the value chains”.

Dr Shankar Chatterjee, Hyderabad, 11 June 2021

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