Segurança alimentar urbana na Baixada Maranhense: o caso do município de Arari

Abstract

In this article, we discuss about the urban food security in the city of Arari, in Maranhão Lowlands, considering food production, the difficulties of access to food raw or minimally processed by dependence on cash income to purchase food, decoupling production and consumption and exposure to advertising of new eating habits. This is a cross-sectional descriptive study, with systemic approach, which analyzes the processes of production, distribution and food consumption with guidance from the triangulation method and using techniques of bibliographic research, statistics and field to discuss the supply system food city in the approaches of the urban economy and the search for a healthy diet. It was noted the significant increase of rice production and fish farming, in recent years, and the significant decrease in fruit production; and urban population gets its power almost exclusively through the intermediary of the market, whose supply, in most cases, has merits outside the region. The two circuits of the urban economy were identified and accessions to new eating habits by including processed foods as opposed to the low consumption of milk, fruits and vegetables. This panorama is the situation of food safety risk because the production model of food adopted in the city has not benefited the majority of the population, but undermined traditional food sources of local people. It is noteworthy that the entry of industrial products has changed the most traditional eating habits by reducing the intake of food raw or minimally processed and increased consumption of processed products or ultraprocessados that can bring various health problems. The city of Arari that was once served by food abundant the wealth of resources on their lands, today presents food security situation compromised by logic determined by profit.