Sao Paulo to give food pellets to poor schoolkids
SAO PAULO: Nicknamed “dog food” and made from nearly expired leftovers, a new product designed to fight hunger among schoolkids in Brazil’s largest city has sparked controversy.
Mayor Joao Doria this week presented the dry pellets at a press conference and promised they would reduce hunger among the city’s poorest schoolchildren, while also slashing food waste.
In some of its forms, such as the pellets, the recycled food — officially known as “farinata” — can be eaten on its own, but it can also be added to other meals, such as spaghetti or cakes.
Despite the public outcry over its dystopian appearance and unappealing provenance, the mayor said he had already authorised the food to be distributed to some the city’s schools this month, without specifying how many children would receive it.
“The Ministry of Education has been authorised to use it in school meals, in a complementary form,” said Doria.
Human Rights secretary Eloisa Arruda said the move had been taken before a full study on the nutritional needs of underprivileged students had been carried out here, the largest metropolis in South America.
Doria described the pellets as a “blessed food” when he presented them, and defended their immediate distribution to children from lower income families.
“Starting in October, we will have a gradual roll-out... to offer them to people who are hungry.”
But, a lack of transparency over farinata’s production and exact usage have only sharpened the controversy in a society already plagued by vast disparities between rich and poor.
“When we offer pellets to lower income people to eat, we are only exacerbating the inequality in society,” said Vivian Zollar, a spokesman for the Region Council on Nutrition.
She said the move demanded a broader debate within society.
Zollar also accused the mayor’s office of not having sufficiently researched possible alternatives to tackle the problem of food scarcity.
“When the city presented the pellets, they said it was a good practice... but no one ever thought it would replace food.”
The state of Sao Paulo has a million and a half people suffering from a lack of food, according to a 2013 study by the Brazilian Institute for Geography and Statistics. That number rises to 7.2 million across the country. AFP