the role of policymakers in potential strengthening to improve the safety of the vegetable in the supply chain: swot analysis during covid-19

Fresh vegetables can play an important role in health and food security. this study aimed to assess the safety of the vegetable supply chain in iran during the covid-19 pandemic by strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (swot) analysis. methods: a mixed-methods study was conducted in two phases in 2021. first, in the cross-sectional study, 192 staff were randomly selected from five major centers of vegetable retail centers. then, semi-structured interviews were done with ten stakeholders, and a swot analysis was completed. results: half of the participants had desirable hygienic practices, 39.6% had acceptable, and 8.9% had weak practice scores. the practice of participants whose educational level was bsc and above was better than that of illiterates (or =15.38, 95% ci =1.61-14.57, p=0.01). swot analysis results identified a poor shelf-life of vegetables, weak technology in planting, harvesting, and distributing vegetables. conclusion: policymakers can utilize the practical solutions for taking action in the potential strengthening of vegetable safety in the supply chain to improve public health during the covid-19 pandemic.