Abstract

"Communal Pots" (CP) are temporary social organizations that provide free food in times of crisis. In Chile, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2020 the CP resurfaced and, although they have appeared in other periods of history, how they benefitted the population is unknown. The objective of this study is to determine the contribution of the CP to the diet and nutrition of Chileans, through the characterization and analysis of their food supply. For this, a descriptive study was carried out based on an online survey sent to volunteers from all over the country after signing the informed consent. The survey included characterization of the respondent and the CP they represented, the preparations offered by the CP, based on which the caloric and nutritional contribution was obtained. In total, 117 CP answered; 5.1% from the north, 85.5% from the center and 9.4% from the south of Chile. Their main contribution was providing lunches (95.9%) with a median of 150 (p25: 100 - p75: 200) daily rations, made up of a main entree (95.9%), bread (80.5%) and salad (74.8%). The most popular preparations were legumes (91.1%), rice (78%) and noodles (77.2%). These lunches provide an average of 23% of the daily energy requirement and 35% of the fiber requirement, but their contribution of vitamin B12 (2.5%), zinc (25%) and iron (28% req. woman) was low regarding the requirement and expected contribution for the meal time. To date, these data are the first published, to report on the real influence of this social movement in the country's food security in times of crisis.