According to the UN, millions of people suffer from hunger in Brazil. To overcome the situation, the whole of society must contribute
Did you know that, right next to you, there is someone who has nothing to eat? According to the 2nd National Survey on Food Insecurity in the Context of the Covid-19 Pandemic in Brazil, more than half (58.7%) of the Brazilian population lives with food insecurity to some degree – mild, moderate or severe. The data refers to 2022.
The global report State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World shows that chronic malnutrition, which is the most serious level of lack of food security, affects 10.1 million Brazilians, or 4.7% of the population. The research takes into account the years 2020 to 2022.
In cases of severe and moderate insecurity, the study shows that more than 70 million people face this situation in the country – which corresponds to almost a third of Brazilians. Severe food insecurity is when, at some point during the year, people run out of food and go hungry, which can happen, in more extreme cases, for a whole day or more. Hunger itself is a long-lasting situation, which causes an uncomfortable or painful sensation due to insufficient energy from food.
Meanwhile, moderate food insecurity is when people face uncertainty about their ability to obtain food and are forced to reduce, at certain times of the year, the quality and quantity of food they consume, due to lack of money or other resources.
Furthermore, mild food insecurity refers to a decline in the quality of food consumed, with concerns about access to food in the future.
This is a real and worrying problem. After all, it is not enough to have food, the food needs to be of quality, in sufficient quantity and on a permanent basis.
When talking about actions to promote food security, it is possible to have actions starting from food production. Sustainable production, taking into account environmental, social and economic aspects, helps ensure the continuity of the supply of items.
In addition, they make healthier foods, such as fruits and vegetables, more accessible to the majority of the population. This contributes to disease prevention and even improves performance at school or work.
All of this must go hand in hand with policies and programs for distributing income and food necessary to meet basic needs. In this topic, the first thing that comes to mind is government actions, but this is everyone’s commitment.
One of the ways the Ramacrisna Institute operates, for example, is the provision of adequate food for children and young people. Every day, students receive balanced meals.
Part of this food comes from weekly donations from SESC’s Instituto Mesa Brasil. In addition to completing the production of meals, the Institute prepares kits for students’ families. To give you an idea, in 2022 alone, 84,103 meals and 59,147 snacks were provided at the Ramacrisna headquarters. In the same year, 16,101 donations of basic food baskets and gas kits were distributed.
Furthermore, the Institute’s partnership with Betim City Hall allowed 1,470,814 meals to be served, together with the Health Department, and another 956,477 in the city’s Popular Restaurants.
Your company can also help solve this problem. With your help, we can transform even more lives. Make your contribution.
