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Text: Carol Quijano

Spain is a country where the oldest recipe book in Europe was written, it is the epicenter of Mediterranean gastronomy -based on fresh products-, it is a vast land of cultivation of fruits, vegetables and greens and the cradle of prestigious world-famous chefs . With these ingredients, why not always follow a balanced diet with fresh foods? The absence of nearby stores, budget, lack of habit, lack of knowledge or lack of interest These are some of the causes that influence the type of diet we follow, which is why Grupo Dia has proposed to mitigate these food barriers and make healthy eating available to everyone. And they do it through their ‘Eat better every day’ program, an initiative that acts on three main axes: access to high-quality, varied foods that adapt to diverse needs and lifestyles; promoting knowledge about the relevance of a balanced diet and being close to clients to facilitate good habits.

This program includes ‘From the field to the table’, the new campaign that the company has launched with the pharmaceutical and dissemination company Marian Garciabetter known as ‘Garcia Apothecary’and which aims to show, through a video series the exciting journey that a healthy food like the leek takes, from when it is grown by a local farmer to our table.

Consume fresh and local products

“Science tells us that to eat healthily, half of what we eat should be fruits, vegetables – the more varied, the better. In addition, we know that the healthiest thing for both us and the planet is that these vegetables are local”says Boticaria García.

But is it possible to buy a food in a store that has been collected a few hours before from the ground? Boticaria García puts a face to the aforementioned project ‘From the Field to the Table’ of the Dia Group in which the protagonist is a leek from Castilla y León that just a few hours after being harvested is on the shelves from a Dia store. A perfect example of the consumption of fresh and local foods.

The exciting journey of the leek

To explain this simple process, Boticaria García travels to a field in Castilian Leon, where she meets Nemesio Fuentesfarmer who explains the morning harvesting process and the ‘trick’ to know if a leek is in optimal condition –“the leaves are intense green and the body is white, about 20 centimeters”-, how from there it goes to the local washing plant that cleans the leaves and carries out final packaging, where it is checked again that the leek – as Nemesio pointed out – is in sale condition. Between night and dawn the leeks are ready for distribution and in this way the consumer can find them on the shelves – in this case Dia – just 24 hours after they have come out of the ground.

97% of Dia’s purchases are from Spanish suppliers

Because in addition to fresh food, Dia’s proximity makes it easy to access. “The vast majority of Spaniards have a Dia store less than 15 minutes from home”indicates the director of Sustainability and CFO of Dia España, Javier López Calvet. The philosophy of this leading network of local stores – with 2,400 establishments – promotes proximity to the consumer and explains why 97% of its purchases are made from more than 1,200 national suppliers.

And after passing through the field and the store, we arrive at the table where Boticaria García explains this simple and delicious recipe to us.