Food and nutrition agenda in State decrees and legislative acts in Paraná (2020–2022): the Impact of COVID-19 on legislative actions

Abstract

The years 2020 and 2021 were strongly impacted by the global COVID-19 pandemic, leading to abrupt transformations in the society of that period, that drastically affected human rights, as well as the guarantee of adequate food and nutrition. Food transcends the mere act of ensuring survival since it is deeply connected to the history and culture of individuals. As a result of carrying out the sanitary control of the virus, socioeconomic aspects, such as adequate food access and nutrition of the population, were left in the background for the authorities. This article carried out the search and cataloging, through the collection and analysis of historical documents of the years 2020 and 2021, of the proposals related to the feeding and nutrition of the population of the State of Paraná presented by the municipal governments to understand if this basic right was prioritized by the municipal authorities. The analysis of the collected data indicates that the governments of regions with greater socioeconomic vulnerability showed more interest in promoting public policies to ensure the food and nutrition of their population. However, in general figures, it was noticed that the number of municipalities that did not produce legislation for the food security of their people in the years of research was excessively high related to the sample surveyed. The interpretation of the collected data infers that the food and nutritional security of the population of the State of Paraná was widely neglected by several Municipalities.