Access to regional food in Brazilian community restaurants to strengthen the sustainability of local food systems

Abstract

This paper evaluated the Brazilian Food Assistance Program at the Community Restaurants (CR) regarding the supply of regional dishes (RD), fruits, and vegetables, to reduce the food insecurity of low-income people and to strengthen the sustainability of local food systems. The study is cross-sectional, and data was collected in the Brazilian Community Restaurants. Thirty-seven restaurants from the five Brazilian regions were drawn from the total number of CRs available, proportionally by each region's number. A questionnaire containing multiple-choice questions regarding RD's frequency, fruits, and vegetable supply in CRs was used to collect data. Each national region had a specific questionnaire including their 10-main RD, obtained from local gastronomy books, magazines, and states' websites. The second part of the questionnaire contained a list of local fruits and vegetables based on a Brazilian publication entitled Regional Brazilian foods. The nutritionists reported the type and how often local fruits and vegetables were supplied, and where the CR purchased these items. There were statistical differences among Brazilian regions in RD supply (p = 0.00). Despite the possibility of presenting 15 different local dishes, none of the CRs supplied the questionnaire's total amount of dishes. The North Region presented the lowest frequency of RD. Regarding fruits and vegetables, the South region provided 100% of the listed local items. In the North, Northeast, and Southeast, CRs supplied more local vegetables than fruits. The Midwest did not supply local fruits or vegetables in its menus. The main reported reasons to provide the RD were high acceptability and eating habits. The high prices of some RD were considered a limiting factor for some CRs to serve these regionals. The South is the only region that CRs bought more frequently regional ingredients from family farming. Although CR program aims to stimulate the use of regional ingredients from family farming and local producers, there is no control to verify menus or buying procedures.