Insegurança alimentar e sustentabilidade alimentar no Brasil: interseções entre o consumo de alimentos ultraprocessados, desigualdade racial e pegada de carbono da dieta

Abstract

Current food systems are characterized by increasing industrialization, globalization, long supply chains, and the intensification of ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption. These factors have contributed to a global syndemic marked by the pandemics of obesity and malnutrition, exacerbated by climate change and with significant impacts on food security (FS), particularly among Black populations and socially vulnerable groups, thereby deepening inequalities. In this context, Chapter I of this dissertation presents an integrative review aimed at summarizing the dietary patterns of the Black Brazilian population and identifying the determinants of their food choices. The search was conducted across six databases (SCOPUS, PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, LILACS, and MEDLINE), in Portuguese and English, in addition to a manual reference search, resulting in the inclusion of 14 cross-sectional studies. The analysis revealed higher consumption of beans, carbohydrates, meats, and fats, and lower consumption of fruits, vegetables, ultra-processed foods, sugar-sweetened beverages, and fast food among mixed-race (pardo), Black, and quilombola populations, with influences from socioeconomic, racial, demographic, and territorial determinants. Chapter II aimed to analyze the association between UPF consumption and levels of food (in)security in the Brazilian population through a cross-sectional study using secondary data from the 2017–2018 Household Budget Survey (POF), with a representative sample of 46,164 individuals aged 10 years or older. Food security was assessed using the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale, and dietary intake was obtained through a 24-hour recall and classified according to the NOVA system, considering demographic and socioeconomic variables. The results showed higher consumption of unprocessed and minimally processed foods in food-insecure households and higher consumption of UPFs among food-secure individuals, as well as a negative association between UPF consumption and both mild and severe food insecurity, with reduced differences after adjustment, suggesting a possible homogenization of consumption across groups. Finally, Chapter III analyzed differences in the dietary carbon footprint (CF) according to food insecurity levels using POF 2017–2018 data, estimating CF based on emission coefficients associated with consumed foods. The findings indicated a negative association between food insecurity and dietary CF, particularly at moderate and severe levels, and a positive association among food-secure individuals, with higher CF observed among males, adults, individuals with higher education and income, those living in rural areas, and residents of the Central-West and Northern regions.