Consumo de alimentos processados e ultraprocessados no Brasil e o papel do Bolsa Família: uma abordagem baseada na pesquisa de orçamentos familiares

Abstract

This study focuses on analyzing the composition of Brazilians’ diets, highlighting the proportion of macronutrient consumption from ultra-processed foods and its relation to the Bolsa Família Program (BFP). Considering that the consumption of these food groups is influenced by inequalities in food systems, and therefore related to the socioeconomic and regional characteristics of beneficiaries. Using data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics’ (IBGE) 2017-2018 Family Budget Survey (POF), we applied a multinomial logit model to identify the variables determining the consumption of processed and ultra-processed foods in the diet. Additionally, we employed the Propensity Score Matching (PSM) method to analyze the impact of BFP on the consumption of calories, proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids. The results of the multinomial logit model indicate that the consumption of processed and ultra-processed foods increases when households are located in urban areas. In these cases, there is a 111% increase in the chances of consuming more than 60% of calories from processed and ultra-processed foods. For the South, Southeast, and Northeast regions, the chances increase by 67%, 96.7%, and 83.3%, respectively. However, for the northern region, the chances decrease by 17%. Regarding the program’s impact results, after conducting PSM, the results indicate a reduction in the average of 2.42% of calories from these foods, a reduction of 1.88% for carbohydrates, a reduction of 1.85% for proteins, and a reduction of 2.32% for lipids. However, even with the program generating this effect, the average consumption of these foods for beneficiaries corresponds to about one-third of their diet.