Datafolha: Amount of food at home is insufficient for 24% of Brazilians

One in four Brazilians says that the amount of food available on their table has been less than what is needed to feed their family in recent months, according to a survey carried out by Datafolha last week.

According to the survey, 24% said that the food was insufficient for their needs. Another 63% stated that the amount was sufficient, and 13% stated that the amount was above what would be needed.

The feeling of food insecurity is more acute for the poorest. Among those with up to two minimum wages (R$ 2,424) as monthly family income, 35% considered the amount of food at home to be insufficient.

According to the survey, 13% of those with a monthly income of two to five minimum wages (R$ 6,060) and 6% of those earning between 5 and 10 minimum wages (R$ 12,120) also said that there was no food on the table in recent months.

Datafolha conducted 2,556 interviews in 181 municipalities last week, on Tuesday (22) and Wednesday (23). The poll’s margin of error is two percentage points, plus or minus.

Previous research shows that the problem remains at levels similar to those seen last year, when economic stagnation and rising unemployment led people to scramble for skeletal remains in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.

According to Datafolha, food insecurity is higher in the Northeast region, where 32% say they have had less food than needed in recent months, and lower in the South, where 18% consider the food available to be insufficient.

The most recent survey by the Brazilian Research Network on Food Sovereignty and Security (Rede Penssan), completed at the end of 2020, showed that the pandemic caused a significant increase in food insecurity in the country.

According to the group, 55% of households lived with some degree of insecurity at the end of the first year of the health crisis. In 2018, the residents of 37% of Brazilian households were in a similar situation.

Datafolha’s research shows that insecurity is greater for those who were out of work or found themselves more vulnerable in the pandemic. Among the unemployed, 38% said they didn’t have enough food.

Among self-employed workers, 26% pointed to the same problem, as did 20% of salaried workers without formal registration and 28% of unemployed people who are not looking for work, according to the survey.

Accelerating inflation has exacerbated the problem in recent months. Food and beverage prices rose by an average of 14.09% in 2020 and 7.94% last year, when the IPCA (Broad Consumer Price Index) changed by 10.06%.