RJ has 468 thousand households in a situation of moderate or severe food insecurity, points out IBGE | Rio de Janeiro

IBGE reports that almost 24% of households in RJ face food insecurity; Without food on the table, 468 thousand families are affected by hunger

Research by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) shows that 468 thousand households of Rio de Janeiro live in a situation of moderate or severe food insecurity. The state has the worst situation in the Southeast Region, along with São Paulo, according to data from PNAD Contínua Food Security released this Thursday (25). Understand the classification below.

In addition to the uncertainty of having a plate of food on the table, families need to change the type of food, compromising nutritional quality and reducing quantity, even for children.

Tatiana Costa is a mother and has eight children. She lives in a house with just two rooms, in Campo Grande, in the West Zone of Rio, and it is with the donations she receives that she is still able to feed her family.

“I usually teach them [filhos]: when there is, there is. When we don’t have it, let’s pray to God to have it. But it’s difficult,” he says.

Because of the empty refrigerator, six children went to live with her relatives.

“It’s suffering, but I know it’s for the good. If they had me now they would be in the same situation. We adapt… it’s very difficult”, says the mother.

His only source of income is Bolsa Família, which guarantees R$600 per month. But there is almost nothing left after paying the rent.

The proportion of households in Rio de Janeiro experiencing moderate or severe food insecurity was 5.1% in 2013. In 2018, it rose to 10.2%. In percentage terms, it fell to 6.9%. This is the 9th lowest rate of moderate and severe food insecurity in the country.

Housewife Rita Melo also knows hunger firsthand. She has been unemployed for five years and has stopped eating to offer her children.

“It’s just that there was little mixture. If I were to eat it, they wouldn’t eat it, so I preferred to give it to them and eat rice and beans. Then Maurício [filho dela] asked ‘Where’s yours?’ And I said, ‘No, I don’t want to’, but that’s a lie. If I were to eat at that moment, they would miss it. I preferred them. And it wasn’t just once, no. There were several times that I stopped eating to give it to them”, says Rita.

“What little we get [de dinheiro] I have to pay one bill or another, and I can’t settle the bills I owe, and people don’t understand…”, says Rita.

In addition to her, Maurício Melo, one of her sons, is also unemployed. And the youngest son has autism. To live, the family’s only income is odd jobs — which are not enough to pay the monthly bills.

“We already meet a demand and other demands arise. We have tried to balance ourselves in this way, but we resort to other help. Unfortunately it has not been enough”, says the son.

The IBGE, responsible for the survey, classifies food insecurity into three levels:

• Mild food insecurity: lack of quality in food and a certain concern or uncertainty regarding access to food in the future.
• Moderate food insecurity: lack of quality and a reduction in the quantity of food among adults.
• Severe food insecurity: lack of quality and reduction in the quantity of food also among children. In this situation, hunger becomes an experience lived at home.

Already the food security It is classified as full and regular access to quality food, in sufficient quantity, without compromising access to other essential needs.