WORLD FACTORY TO TABLE
packages of chopped onions, carrots, grains, potatoes, greens, and herbs, which form the base of a healthy meal. However, increasing the supply of healthy foods isn’t enough. There must also be a substantive demand. Most people don’t understand the health effects of ultra-processed food. In many rural areas, people believe Nestlé’s products are healthy and are attracted to the brand’s flashy packaging. Unless people recognize that ultra-processed foods are bad for them, they won’t have any incentive to change their diet. Brazil’s government has already taken some steps to educate the public about healthy eating. In 2014, Brazil released one of the world’s most progressive sets of nutrition guidelines. The guidelines transcend basic advice about food groups and proper proportions of fat and calories and instead classify foods based on their level of processing—a radical step in the arena of food education. They also consider the social, cultural, and environmental dimensions of consumption far more thoroughly than US guidelines, which remain vague in order to protect corporate interests. The Brazilian guidelines provide not only a foundation for food educators, but also a clear government statement of intent that activists can build on. With these guidelines in place, programs to implement them are now in progress. Brazil’s school lunch program is an exceptional example—the World Food Programme dubbed it “an inspiration for other countries.” The government spends 1.3 billion USD annually on student nutrition. Every student from preschool through university is guaranteed a free meal every day. 70 percent of the ingredients used to prepare these meals must be basic: greens, veggies, grains, and the like. Furthermore, 30 percent of the food must be procured from family farms, exposing children to fresh, local food and providing farmers with access to a massive, dependable market.
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The Brazilian government can make an even bigger impact by adding an educational component to the program, in which children can learn about the virtues of fresh produce and whole grains through the food they eat every afternoon. In accordance with Brazil’s nutrition guidelines, the curriculum should teach students to judge food based on the way it is prepared and aim to instill an appreciation for fresh food, a respect for the country’s traditional food customs, and an awareness of environmental issues surrounding food consumption. While this is a gradual process, it’s one that must begin now.
Most people don’t understand the health effects of ultraprocessed food. Brazil is not the only country plagued by skyrocketing rates of obesity. Transnational food corporations are waging war on traditional food systems around the world; globally, more people are now obese than underweight. For many countries, the road ahead is rocky: These corporations wield immense power and are often deeply entrenched within the public sector. Brazil’s brilliant pre-existing government programs and its administration’s commitment to promoting healthy eating put the country in a unique and remarkable position; Brazil has a chance to win the fight against Big Food, reverse the trends that have wreaked havoc on the health of its people, and serve as a model for the rest of the world.
AUTHOR Marianna Scott ’21 is an English concentrator and an Associate Editor at BPR. INFOGRAPHICS Klara Auerbach and Sarah Conlisk