RN has the best food security rate in the Northeast

Rio Grande do Norte is the state in the Northeast with the best household food security rate, according to data from the Food Security module of the Continuous National Household Sample Survey (PNAD), released this Thursday 25th by IBGE.

Food security is defined by the population’s permanent access to adequate food. In the last quarter of 2023, when the survey was carried out, 66.6% of households were in this situation. RN also has the lowest proportion of severe food insecurity: 4.9%. food safety assecom file

RN also has the lowest proportion of severe food insecurity: 4.9% – Photo: Elisa Elsie /Assecom RN

Carried out in partnership with the Ministry of Development and Social Assistance, Family and Combating Hunger, the research used the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale (EBIA) as its methodological reference, which allows the identification and classification of households according to their level of food security. of residents.

This is the first time that PNAD Contínua has made results available according to EBIA criteria. However, four previous IBGE publications have already addressed the topic of food security based on this scale: the Supplements on Food and Nutritional Security (SAN), which were part of the PNAD in 2004, 2009 and 2013, in addition to the Family Budget Survey (POF ) 2017-2018.

In comparison with the Family Budget Survey (POF) 2017-2018, the proportion of Potiguar households in which families have regular and permanent access to quality and quantity food, without compromising access to other essential needs, rose from 59% to 66.6% in 2023, while that of households experiencing severe food insecurity fell from 7.6% to 4.9%.

Government Action

The Government of RN has two programs to combat hunger and malnutrition aligned with the population’s food security. They are Restaurante Popular and Programa do Leite. The Restaurante Popular program provides, on average, 42 thousand meals a day at symbolic prices, with R$1.00 for lunch and 0.50 for breakfast and soup (evening). The Milk Program benefits 76 thousand families in situations of social vulnerability.

Furthermore, the Industrial Development Stimulus Program (Proedi) grants tax incentives, linked to job creation, for companies that establish themselves or wish to expand their facilities in Rio Grande do Sul. There are more than 30 thousand jobs guaranteed, most of them in the interior of the State.

For the Secretary of State for Labor, Housing and Social Assistance, Iris Oliveira, the positive numbers in the IBGE survey are linked to social policies implemented in Brazil from 2023 onwards, such as the policy of increasing the minimum wage and the new format Bolsa Família.

“Improving income has a significant impact on food security and people’s lives. In Rio Grande do Norte, the government has been investing in food security by strengthening, for example, family farming, through the food acquisition program for school meals, hospitals and popular restaurants. All of this implies an improvement in income in the countryside. We are reaping very concrete results from the policies implemented by the federal government and the actions of the State government, whose objective is to take Brazil off the hunger map and combat poverty. We have a lot to celebrate”, said Iris, remembering that the RN government’s investment in purchasing milk and providing meals last year was R$103 million.

Another factor in improving the population’s quality of life is the creation of jobs. According to the General Register of Employed and Unemployed Persons (CAGED), in 2023, 22,933 CLT jobs were created in Rio Grande do Norte, increasing the stock of formal employment – with a formal contract – to 501,921 in December last year. In the first two months of 2024, an additional 1,740 CLT jobs were created.