The culture of abundance leads to food waste in Brazil | Economy

In addition to being badociated with hospitality and caring for the family, abundance is related to status, says the study. "Brazil is a very unequal country, and food signals wealth.Families who have experienced poverty in the past, for example, tend to like to prepare a big picture to show that they are living a better period, "says Gustavo Porpino, an badyst at Embrapa and a leader in waste research, led by the EU-Brazil sectoral dialogues.

Keeping the pantry always filled also brings tranquility to those with low purchasing power. As a budget priority, food is bought and stored in large quantities to be sufficient for the whole month. However, the preparation of exaggerated portions and the non-reuse of leftovers mean that some foods go directly to the trash.

Embrapa's research is not determined by social clbad. "Families who waste little are not necessarily the poorest, but those who adopt more sustainable consumption habits," says Porpino.

In practice, it is people who make smaller purchases, prepare grocery lists and reuse leftovers for new meals. The survey, which gathered 1,764 people from all walks of life and regions of the country, shows that those who are more aware of the impact of budget waste tend to get rid of less food.

According to the study, the Brazilian family throws nearly 130 pounds of food a year, an average of 41.6 pounds per person. Food in the trash, as a percentage of total waste, are: rice (22%), beef (20%), beans (16%) and chicken (15%).

The Akatu Institute, an NGO focused on conscious consumption, says that if a Brazilian family spends an average of 650 reais a month on food, halves food waste and deposits the equivalent amount (about 90 reais per month) in a savings account, would accumulate about 1 million reais in 70 years, considering the annual income.

In addition to weighing in the pocket, waste harms the environment because resources used in agriculture to produce food, such as water, end up in vain.

"Fao [Organização das Nações Unidas para a Alimentação e a Agricultura] estimates that if food waste is concentrated in a single country, it will become the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world after the United States and China, accounting for 8% of global emissions and the biggest user of water, surpbading India and China, "said Helio Mattar, director-president of the Akatu Institute.

In addition to family income and natural resources, the waste of food suitable for consumption goes to the trash, but also the opportunity to feed those who suffer from hunger.

"In Brazil, a high food waste coexists with food insecurity, an unfortunate combination for a country where 22.6% of the population is facing a certain level of food insecurity and where 54, 8 million people live up to 5 years, 5 dollars a day, poverty line proposed by the World Bank, "said Porpino.

Research suggests that Brazilians do not forget the harmful effects of waste. The vast majority of respondents (94%) know they should avoid it. According to Porpino, the remains are even kept in the refrigerator to ease the guilt, but are not reused. So the rejection is just procrastinated.

Internationally, one-third of total food production, or 1.3 billion tonnes, is put in the trash, which would be enough to feed 2 billion people, according to Fao calculations. Based on this calculation, it is possible to estimate that 8.7 million tons of food are wasted in Brazil, enough to feed more than 13 million people.

Still according to the study, the figures of Brazil put it in front of most European countries. A survey of the European Union published in 2017, for example, found that 439 grams of food per household per week is wasted in Germany, Spain, the Netherlands and Hungary, as against 353 grams in Brazil per day and per household.