Food Protection Trends - March/April 2023 - 173

TABLE 3. Participant MPV consumption habits (cont.)
Behavior
Factors that limit purchase
Distrust of hygienic quality
Preference for bulk product
Lack of habit
Nutritional loss
More meals consumed at home
Lack of knowledge
Own production
Other
Varieties of MPV consumed
Leafy greens (e.g., chard, lettuce, watercress, collard greens, endive, spinach, cabbage, arugula, parsley)
Vegetables (e.g., pumpkin, zucchini, eggplant, chayote, cucumber, pepper)
Roots, tubers (e.g., potatoes, beets, carrots, cassava, turnips, radishes)
Flowers (e.g., artichoke, broccoli, cauliflower)
Stems (e.g., celery, asparagus, palm heart)
was also once or twice weekly. These consumers answered
questions about the main factors that determined or limited
the purchase of MPV. Convenience and practicality (77.8%)
and quick preparation (50.7%) were the most common
reasons for purchasing these products. Limiting factors were
high price (66.4%) and lack of product availability at places
of food purchase (26.9%). Among the most commonly
consumed MPV varieties were leafy vegetables such as
lettuce, chard, watercress, collard greens, endive, spinach,
cabbage, arugula, and parsley.
Consumers were also asked about their understanding
of MPV labeling. Of the 685 participants, 280 (40.9%)
reported checking labels every time they bought MPV, but
44 (6.4%) never checked labels. The label items indicated as
most commonly checked were expiration date (84.1%), date
of manufacture (61.3%), and information on hygiene
or washing (42.5%) (Table 4).
Regarding the participants' perception of the microbiological
risk associated with the consumption of MPV, most disagreed
that MPV are totally free of pathogenic microorganisms (49%)
or other contaminants that pose health risks (31.8%) and
agreed that MPV may be involved in foodborne disease outbreaks
(49.1%). Most participants (58.7%) disagreed that
there is no concern about the microbiological safety of MPV,
even though these products have been sanitized by producers
(Fig. 2).
Results of the Pearson chi-square test indicated that
only the variable monthly family income was positively
associated with the consumption of fresh vegetables and
N
95
89
73
66
46
45
16
32
524
313
310
218
84
%
13.9
13
10.7
9.6
6.7
6.6
2.3
4.7
76.6
45.7
45.3
31.8
12.3
MPV. Individuals with higher income, regardless of gender,
age, marital status, and educational level, tended to consume
more vegetables. Monthly family income was also the
only variable that was associated with the perception of
microbiological risk; individuals with higher incomes were
more aware of the microbiological risks associated with the
consumption of MPV. Participants with a monthly family
income of up to the minimum wage were the group least
likely to consume or purchase MPV (2%), whereas those
with a monthly family income of 5 to 15 times the minimum
wage had the highest rate of consumption (42%). Higher
income participants also tended to have higher education
levels (P ≤0.05), which could have contributed to greater
awareness of microbiological risks.
DISCUSSION
The present study covered all Brazilian regions, with most
of the data coming from the southeastern region including
the states of Espirito Santo, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro,
and São Paulo. This region of Brazil is the most populous
and wealthy, accounting for ca. 53% of the gross domestic
product. Data from the last agricultural census released by
the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE)
revealed that ca. 21,649 tons of fresh vegetables were
produced in Brazil in 2017, and 38.7% of this production
came from the southeastern region. Although most survey
responses (57.7%) came from southeastern Brazil, the rest of
the country was represented in our study; 15.9% of responses
came from the northeastern and 12% came from southern
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