Deaths from malnutrition in Brazil - an agro-export country

Abstract

What could be the reasons for so many deaths from malnutrition in a country known for exporting food? This and other questions will be addressed in this article, where some data will be presented on the measures taken over the decades to combat food insecurity and hunger in Brazil, as well as their possible causes, demystification and/or reflection on some of them, and the presentation of the country's current scenario regarding this issue. As a methodology, a critical bibliographic review of primary literature (scientific articles, research, official reports) and secondary literature (books, magazine articles) on the topic was used. The objective of this article is to present the main public policies, legislation and actions against food insecurity and hunger already taken in Brazil, in light of the alarming reality of infant mortality due to malnutrition and the country's return to the UN Hunger Map, seeking to understand the structural and cyclical causes of this problem and propose some reflections on possible actions for a hunger-free future. Finally, it is concluded that despite decades of specific actions and promising laws, hunger persists as a deep wound in Brazil, the result of a flawed food system and deep-rooted structural inequalities. Although measures such as Bolsa Família and the increase in the minimum wage have alleviated the situation at times, the lack of structural reform at the base of the economy and the agri-food model prevents a definitive fight against hunger.

Keywords: deaths from malnutrition; food insecurity and hunger; hunger in Brazil.