Coronavirus Pandemic: Earlier, we used to believe whatever was marketed well. We purchased foods by looking at the carton's front side but never checking the details of the ingredients involved in processing the final product. But post-COVID-19 pandemic, people worldwide have become more conscious of what they consume—they understand how switching over to wholesome meals instead of instant foods helps nourish in the long run.
What is the current scenario?
Nowadays, more and more people choose homemade foods over India, including fresh fruits and nuts over greasy and fried foods. The pandemic has made consumers sit up, take notice of their health, and become aware of immunity-boosting foods to fight diseases. This has transformed to be an opportunity for many vendors across the country to explore and come up with innovative ideas of introducing combinations of herbs such as turmeric, ginger, garlic, pepper, etc., antioxidant-rich nuts and seeds like pumpkin seeds, melon seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds, walnuts to launch new products altogether. Restaurants are coming up with healthy, menus including immunity-boosting drinks replacing sugary drinks, while farm-to-table menus replacing all those fatty treats. For instance, fibre-rich wraps, cinnamon and oats-based desserts! Sounds interesting. While you can always order in all of this and more, but with a little bit of persistence, you can make these at home too.
The onus is on consumers!
An aware consumer is likely to reduce the risk and incidence of COVID-19 and other food-borne diseases. Consumers are right away from the prime sources that affect food safety through their food handling and preparation methods. Food safety education can play a considerable role in reducing food-borne illnesses within the food safety continuum from ‘farm-to-table.’ The common public has a prominent role in the inclusive national food control system. They influence the policies and guidelines and the functioning of the system itself in several ways.
Stay Safe & Healthy!