‘First’ and ‘Second’ bones are sold in Fortaleza

Cristian Almeida, 21, piled bags of bones on the counter while Marcos Vinícius, 27, served customers who kept arriving at a supermarket butcher in Parque Presidente Vargas, on the outskirts of Fortaleza, late on a Wednesday afternoon. intended for meat promotions.

The pandemic and the economic crisis changed the behavior of butchers in the capital of Ceará. Those who previously donated bones started to sell them. Those who were already selling it, increased the price of the product, differentiating values ​​of “first-rate bone” and “second-class bone”.

The increased demand for bones in the country comes in the wake of the rise in the price of meat, as well as other foods, and high unemployment. Scenes across the country drew attention, such as the bones disputed in Rio.

At the butcher shop in Parque Presidente Vargas, Isabel Rodrigues, 39, opted for a bag with ox bones, which was being sold at R$3.50 a kilo.

The diarist explains that bone-in dishes have become a routine at the family table due to the high prices of meats. “When we’re lucky, we get some with meat. I always take them to make soup, put them in the beans. Even with these promotional plates, it doesn’t fit my budget. And even the bone is getting expensive.”

The report covered supermarkets, slaughterhouses and butchers in the 12 regional offices of Fortaleza, between October 27th and 29th.

Bone value varies by neighborhood and category. It can be found without distinction or with definition of first, second and even third, depending on the establishment.

In the region where Isabel lives, for example, smooth bone, one that does not contain meat or fat, costs between R$ 3.50 and R$ 5 a kilo. In Barra do Ceará, the value is R$ 2.50 per kilo. In the regions of Messejana, Centro, José Walter and Mucuripe, the item costs an average of R$ 10 per kilo.

In Grande Bom Jardim and the Conjunto Ceará region, other categories emerge. The second-rate bone, which is one that belongs to a noble meat, such as rump, has the same average value in both places, R$ 10.99 per kilo.

The first bone, called “cooking”, which contains traces of meat and fat, costs R$ 17.99 per kilogram. The term “cozido” is also present in Conjunto Esperança and José Walter, costing R$ 19.99 and R$ 24.99 per kilo, respectively.

Everton da Silva, from Sindicarnes-CE (Retail Trade Union of Fresh Meats of Ceará), says that the increase in the price of meat has pressured the population to seek alternatives for the consumption of proteins.

“People are avoiding buying red meat, because they can’t stand the price increase any longer. So, they are looking for other proteins, consuming more chicken or pork,” says Silva.

Everton points out that the rise in the value of bone was driven by the growth in demand during the pandemic. “The price of bone increased, because before there was no demand. The amount of bone-in meat, which arrived at the establishments, was very small and, today, this same amount is no longer supplied. The demand drives the price”.

Meat prices accumulate 22% in the 12 months until October, according to the IPCA-15, a preview of inflation. Values ​​have also affected small traders.

The small butcher shop owned by Francisca de Assis, 71, which works in front of her house, in Praia do Futuro, had not registered any meat sales for two days. “It’s very difficult. People don’t have money and we don’t know how to keep the trade,” he says.

Francisca has 3 kg of meat to sell. In addition to protein, it sells bones on Wednesdays — as demand is great, the product ends in the morning. “I used to give the bones, but today, living on retirement and needing to pay the bills, I’m charging”.

If she can’t sell the meat, Francisca intends to donate a part to some family around the neighborhood so as not to spoil it. “There are many who are hungry. Many people ask me for help. I always give something, but I can’t help everyone,” he laments.

Denilson Araújo, 35, recalls that, before the pandemic, people from other neighborhoods came to buy meat at the stall, which assembles every week at the Apolo XI fair, in Conjunto Esperança.

As of noon on a Friday, I still hadn’t got clients. “I’ve already lost the day. If they haven’t arrived by now, they won’t come anymore”, he vents. In a corridor that stretches for five blocks, Denilson is the only one who sells the protein.

In the context of the pandemic, hunger has become even more evident, with more than 19 million Brazilians facing severe food insecurity, according to the latest survey by the Brazilian Research Network on Sovereignty and Food Security.

It was an increase of almost 9 million hungry people compared to 2018. The Northeast region is the hardest hit, with almost 7.7 million.