Regression of food plans quality in Romanian nurseries under the influence of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

Background. The pandemic brought a major global change. The rules imposed worldwide forced the education system to step into unknown and unexplored territory without preparing or leaving time for adaptation. Aims. The purpose of this paper was to analyze the quality of the nurseries’ menus under the influence of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted over 3 consecutive years, respectively between 2019 and 2021. Food ingestion was calculated using the national recommendation for food ratio by transforming all complex food products into simple equivalents. Results. There was an increase in the amount used in some perishable foods such as meat and derived from meat, milk and dairy products, or eggs. At the same time, a small decrease in sweeteners was observed, but the values were still high compared to international or national needs. In the fat category, the values for all 3 years did not show such a large discrepancy from the legislative values. Conclusions. Although the pandemic caused disorganization, there were a few positive aspectsand since 2020 the percentage of foods not recommended for preschoolers such as high-sugar and high-fat foods has started to decrease; however, dairy products are still insufficiently procured and consumed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]