Segurança alimentar e nutricional no município de Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais: perspectivas e desafios.

This study aimed to describe the main aspects related to food and nutrition security (FNS), associated with the current scenario and future possibilities, from the analysis of the consumption of fruits and vegetables (F&V) by the population of the capital of Minas Gerais and some associated factors such as socioeconomic factors, Access to urban gardens and the impact of the new pandemic. Secondary data available from the Ministry of Health on the Surveillance of Risk Factors and Protection for Chronic Diseases by Telephone Survey (VIGITEL) survey were used, from wich indicators of interest to the adult population of one of the Brazilian capitals were used, Belo Horizonte – Minas Gerais. These data underwent statistical treatment using the Stata software, which allowed the comparison of different strata of the population of Belo Horizonte, which may contribute to improve FNS rates in this Brazilian city. The analysis of an indicator of the Action Plan and Nutritional Care, prepared by different sectors of the Municipal Health Department, made it possible to estimate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in the municipality. The current scenario demands urgent changes in food systems and public policies in order to ensure the population’s access to adequate food, especially F&V, as well as making cities more resilient and sustainable. More investments, both economic and technical, are needed to promote the development of the cities of the future, including Belo Horizonte. In this sense, the research promoted the production of a technical-technological product (TTP) in order to rescue the traditional food culture, with the dissemination of unconventional food plants (UFP) found in the territory of the municipality’s vulnerable population, and contribute to better FNS indexes, both in the city of Belo Horizonte as in other locations.