Historical evolution of the acquisition of family farm vegetable products by a university public hospital

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the evolution of family farming (AF) purchases at a public university hospital (HPU) in southern Brazil. It is characterized as a retrospective observational case study with a quantitative approach and using secondary data from June 2019 to July 2023, obtained from the Nutrition and Dietetics Service of the HPU. Only plant-based products classified as either fresh or minimally processed according to the standards of the Brazilian Food Guide for the Population were considered. The list of foods within each of the plant-based groups—cereals, legumes, vegetables, and fruits—was examined, including the total quantity in kilograms (kg) and percentage (%) of foods within each group. Verification was conducted to identify which products were sourced from conventional suppliers and which from AF. Over the investigated 50-month period, the HPU procured more than two thousand metric tons of plant-based products, with a monthly average acquisition of 43,014.09 kg. Vegetables and fruit accounted for 82.7% of the total quantity. During this period, we identified the acquisition of 55 vegetable items from AF. In the cereals group, items originating from family farming accounted for 67.4% of the purchased quantity. The vegetable group, particularly in the last two years, demonstrated increase attributed to the acquisition of processed items. It was possible to identify an increase in the total quantity in kg of plant-based groups acquired from AF by the HPU, thereby strengthening this crucial segment of food production.