In a house that sits on the edge of a river in Curralinho, in the interior of Pará, Maria do Espírito Santo, 42, eats fish as a staple of her diet. Fished nearby, it is the only food with a guaranteed place on her family's table.
With the pandemic, she saw the possibilities of her already scarce menu dwindle. Of rice, beans and meat, only rice was left - when it is possible to buy it.
Her family is among the 59.3% of Brazilians - 125.6 million - who have not eaten in ideal quantity and quality since the arrival of the novel coronavirus. The data comes from the report, “Effects of the pandemic on food and on the food security situation in Brazil,” coordinated by the Food for Justice Research Group.
The study measured levels of food insecurity in the country. According to the survey, 44% of Brazilians stopped eating meat in the pandemic. Among healthy foods, this was the one with the greatest reduction in consumption. Second come the fruits, with 41%. The population also reduced the consumption of vegetables by 37%.
Translated by Kiratiana Freelon