Supermarket locks meat fridge in São Paulo

Meat has become such a precious and rare item on the Brazilian table that a Dia supermarket chain store in downtown São Paulo locked the refrigerator with the product using a chain and padlock.

The store, located on Alameda Barão de Limeira, in Campos Elíseos, restricted access to meat packages and posted a notice for customers interested in buying the product to request it from one of the employees.

According to Dia, there are no reports of practices like this in other units, given that the company’s orientation for stores is not to limit access to the shelves. According to the company, the refrigerator was unlocked in the early evening of this Wednesday (16), after contacting the report.

Through a note, Dia said that it values ​​proximity to its customers and partners. “In this way, we have been working to eliminate any restriction on access to products by our customers throughout our network. Blocking shelves is a practice adopted by some retail establishments, but which is in disagreement with the business guidelines adopted by the Dia. “

Also according to the company, the fact identified in the unit on Rua Barão de Limeira is outside the standard of action of the Day “and, for that very reason, it has already been promptly regularized”. The Day did not specify whether there was an increase in meat thefts at the downtown store.

Given the high number of thefts, this practice used to be more common to protect higher value items such as cigarettes and alcoholic beverages.

But report from sheet has already shown that the rise in the price of meat has been leading some supermarkets to reinforce safety also for food since last year.

The units started to adopt practices that ranged from the installation of sensors to the delivery of empty packages, so that the customer only received the goods after payment.

According to Procon-SP said at the time, the practice of strengthening security in relation to meat is not illegal, but can be considered discriminatory when done in units of some specific neighborhoods, without objective criteria.

Procon-SP threatened to notify an Extra unit on the outskirts of São Paulo that delivered empty trays to customers who asked for portions of meat at the butcher’s.

Sought again on Wednesday, the agency had not yet manifested.

Also sought after, Apas (São Paulo Association of Supermarkets) did not comment.

In recent months, going to the butcher shop has become an endurance test for Brazilians. In 2021, meats were 9.98% more expensive, while proteins that could replace them – such as poultry and eggs – rose 24.8%.

The rise in prices is a problem for President Jair Bolsonaro (PL), who is expected to seek re-election this year, and fears the impacts of the electorate’s loss of purchasing power.

Inflation punishes the pocketbook of families across the country. In February, the IPCA (Extended National Consumer Price Index), considered the official inflation, was 1.01%, 0.47 percentage points above the one registered in January (0.54%). This is the biggest change for a month of February since 2015.

The biggest impact, 0.31 percentage point, and the biggest change (5.61%) came from the Education sector. Then comes Food and Beverages (1.28%), which accelerated in relation to January (1.11%) and contributed with 0.27 percentage point. The two groups represented around 57% of the IPCA, according to the IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics).

In 12 months, the kilo of filet mignon rose 21.77%; the sirloin steak, 14.18%; the muscle had a high of 11.46%; the picanha, 11.97%. On average, meats rose 8.61%, according to the IPCA.