Food price trends during COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil
 
More details
Hide details
1
Center for Epidemiological Research in Nutrition and Health, University of São Paulo (USP), Brazil
 
2
Surveillance and Monitoring in Nutrition and Health Laboratory, Nutrition Department, Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Brazil
 
3
Brazilian Institute for Consumer Defense (Idec), Brazil
 
 
Publication date: 2023-04-26
 
 
Popul. Med. 2023;5(Supplement):A1938
 
ABSTRACT
The present study aims to analyze the trends in food price in Brazil in the recent past, with an emphasis on the period of the Covid-19 pandemic (2020 and March 2022) and to project price scenarios until 2025. To analyze trends in food price data from the Household Budget Survey and from the National System of Consumer Price Indexes were used to create a novel data set containing monthly prices (R$/kg) for the foods and beverages most consumed in the country between January 2018 and March 2022. The 95 foods or beverages items included in the present study were divided according to the NOVA food classification into 4 groups: Unprocessed or minimally processed foods, Processed culinary ingredients, Processed foods, and Ultra-processed food. The mean price of each group and subgroup were estimated for each year of study and for the entire period. The monthly price of each group was then plotted to analyze changes in prices for the period from 2018 to 2022. Fractional polynomial models were used to synthesize price changes up to 2025. Results of the present study show that in Brazil unprocessed or minimally processed foods and processed culinary ingredients were less expensive than processed and ultra-processed foods. However, the analyses suggest the reversal of this price pattern. This change in the price trends initially predicted for Brazil seems to reflect the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global economy. These results are worrying because the increase in the price of health foods exacerbates the food insecurity in Brazil. Additionally, this trend encourages even further the replacement of traditional meals for the consumption of unhealthy foods, increasing a health risk to the population.
ISSN:2654-1459
Journals System - logo
Scroll to top