Increasing knowledge of food deserts in Brazil: The contributions of an interactive and digital mosaic produced in the context of an integrated education for sustainability program

• Date: 01 August 2019
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/pa.1894
• Published date: 01 August 2019

PRACTITIONER PAPER

Increasing knowledge of food deserts in Brazil: The

contributions of an interactive and digital mosaic produced

in the context of an integrated education for sustainability

program

Isabella Cruvinel Santiago |Fernanda Cassab Carreira |Ana Carolina Pires de Aguiar |

Mario Prestes Monzoni

Center for Sustainability Studies (FGVces),

Fundacao Getulio Vargas Escola de

Administracao de Empresas de Sao Paulo, São

Paulo, Brazil

Correspondence

Fernanda Cassab Carreira, FGVces, Fundacao

Getulio Vargas Escola de Administracao de

Empresas de Sao Paulo, Avenida Nove de

Julho, São Paulo, Brazil.

Email: fernanda.carreira@fgv.br

As efforts to end hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition evolve within the context

of United Nations' Global Compact and Sustainable Development Goals; such prob-

lems remain far from being solved due, in part, to their complex nature. Brazil exem-

plifies such multifaceted scenario as the country has left the “hunger map”in 2014

but now faces another issue: The quality of the food available to its population. Phys-

ical, social, economic, cultural, and political factors have impacted the Brazilian food

environment, shaping new eating habits such as the replacement of traditional local

food for processed foods. Within this context, educational institutions may play an

important role in spreading knowledge about major social challenges such as this

and their interdependent causes. This paper presents the case study of a project con-

ducted by business and public administration students in a discipline called Integrated

Education for Sustainability (FIS), offered to undergraduate students at one of Brazil's

most important management schools. In 2017, the project worked on the topic of

Food Deserts, challenging the students to develop a digital and interactive mosaic that

uncovers the situation of the food deserts in São Paulo. Data were collected from par-

ticipant observation, field trips, events, and interviews conducted in class with 18 pro-

fessionals working on several areas related to the topic. The article provides insights

into (a) the importance of education to tackle the sustainability challenges, (b) lessons

learned from the 14th edition of FIS course, and (c) the several barriers to food access

in the city of São Paulo.

1|INTRODUCTION: FOOD AND

NUTRITION SECURITY IN BRAZIL

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO, IFAD and

WFP, 2014), the malnourished Brazilian population decreased by

82% from 2002 to 2013. Brazil left the hunger map in 2014, with less

than 5% of the population ingesting less calories than recommended,

but it now faces another issue: The quality of the food available to

its population.

The historical process of the second half of the twentieth century,

marked by the Scientific‐Technical Revolution, evidences the impacts

of urbanization and population growth on production patterns, includ-

ing on food production. Kitchen chores such as cooking meals have

been passed on to the industry, and the consumption of industrially

processed foods is increasing as a consequence (Leite, 2006).

According to the 2010 Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statis-

tics census (IBGE, 2010), Brazilian families have substituted calories

that typically came from traditional Brazilian food (such as rice, beans,

and cassava flour) for the consumption of processed foods (such as

cookies, soft drinks, and ready‐made meals). More recently, a survey

conducted by the Brazilian Ministry of Health indicates that less than

25% of the Brazilian population eats the amount of fruits and

Received: 3 April 2018 Revised: 25 October 2018 Accepted: 7 November 2018

DOI: 10.1002/pa.1894

J Public Affairs. 2019;19:e1894.

https://doi.org/10.1002/pa.1894

© 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/pa 1of8