What is sustainable food in Brazil? Access, health and recognition as relevant aspects for institutional actors in the food system. A field research

Abstract

The paper presents qualitative research results on sustainable food consumption, comprising a bibliographic research and analysis of 30 interviews with actors representing key sectors of the country's food system, seeking to identify how they understand sustainable food consumption. The results show that the concept of sustainability in food is mainly based on three non-exclusive discourses: access, health and recognition. Sustainable consumption in food occurs to the extent that all Brazilians have access to healthy food daily, in terms of distribution, quality and price, and is associated with both the appreciation of traditional food culture and challenges in accessing food information. The research findings provide elements for the debate on public policies and food production and distribution strategies, and improve our understanding of the concept of sustainable food consumption in the midst of everyday practices, discourses and institutional contexts in Brazil.