Brazil is a country with more than 21 million people who do not have enough to eat every day, according to a recent report released by the United Nations (UN). Furthermore, according to data from the same institution, the country currently has 70.3 million Brazilians who are food insecure. Given these highly relevant numbers, the nation has some actions to mitigate the problem, and one of them is the definition of the government’s basic food basket, prepared with a focus on meeting public policies.
According to Decree No. 11,936, on March 5th of this year, the composition of the product kit aims to structure “the composition of the basic food basket within the scope of the National Food and Nutritional Security Policy and the National Food Supply Policy, with the purpose of guaranteeing the human right to adequate and healthy food and promote food and nutritional sovereignty and security”. In other words, the legislation seeks to ensure the right of Brazilians to a healthy diet that promotes health and well-being, through basic items that meet the needs of a family.
The government’s basic food basket is usually made up of essential products in the national diet, such as beans, rice, oil, sugar, salt and coffee. In this type of basket, the focus tends to be more uniform, with the aim of meeting the basic nutritional needs of the vulnerable population. There are differences in the government’s basic food basket as a benefit, distributed in several companies in the country. While the first focuses on ensuring food security, enabling Brazilians to have access to food, the second goes beyond this principle and adapts to the needs of employees and their families, with items such as detergents, disinfectants and soaps. There is no rigid uniformity regarding the items that make up these distributed baskets, considering that this flexibility allows companies to serve different market segments, from collective work agreements to personalized demands for special occasions, such as events, Christmas or donations, in which the customer has complete freedom to choose which products will be in the basket.
Despite the differences between them, according to experts on the subject, the baskets must include a variety of foods capable of providing necessary macronutrients (proteins, carbohydrates and lipids), essential elements for providing energy to the body. Among the products rich in carbohydrates in a basic basket, rice, pasta and flour products, such as wheat flour, cassava flour, corn and cornmeal, stand out. Proteins, essential for the construction and repair of body tissues, can be found in milk and dairy products, as well as meat, sardines and legumes, such as beans and peas. Finally, lipids are delivered in a basic basket through vegetable oils, such as soybean. They play a fundamental role in maintaining the health of cells and in the absorption of certain vitamins essential for the functioning of the body.
In addition, the basic food baskets also pay attention to micronutrients (vitamins and minerals), which participate in various chemical reactions in the body and are found in practically all foods, although in varying quantities. They are generally found in fruits, vegetables and legumes, which contribute to the prevention of diseases and better functioning of the body. In the case of basic food baskets offered as a benefit by companies, the possibilities are even greater, considering that there is a greater diversity of products according to the desired nutritional values and preferences of the company’s workers.
This way, companies have greater autonomy to personalize and innovate the composition of basic food baskets. This allows for a more flexible approach to product selection, such as reducing items rich in sugar and sodium, with the aim of promoting a healthier and more balanced diet for workers. The possibility of customizing the baskets means that companies not only meet the contractual requirements of each collective agreement, but also take greater care of the health and well-being of the beneficiaries. Eating well is, therefore, synonymous with better health.
Bruna Bertoli is the Commercial and Marketing Director at QualyCestas, a company that operates in the basic food baskets and wholesale products segment.
