“UM KILO DE ARROZ PRA NÃO MORRER DE FOME”

UMA ANÁLISE SOBRE O BENEFÍCIO EVENTUAL DE AUXÍLIO ALIMENTAÇÃO

Abstract

This article analyzes the public policy of the Occasional Food Aid Benefit — popularly known as the “basic food basket” — in the municipality of Francisco Beltrão (PR, Brazil), based on qualitative research conducted during a mandatory internship at a Social Assistance Reference Center. The research combines theoretical foundations on hunger and food insecurity with empirical data obtained through questionnaires administered to users, executors, and policy advisors. The analysis highlights tensions between the conception of the benefit as a right and the social perception of its concession as help or favor. The study points out the contradiction between the occasional nature of the benefit and the permanence of food insecurity experienced by the individuals served. The study highlights the importance of more universal, continuous, and integrated actions in the food system, emphasizing the critical role of research in the daily professional practice of Social Work. The study concludes that there is an urgent need for strategies that promote the overcoming of welfare and consolidate the human right to adequate food.