ABSTRACT
Social gastronomy is a topic studied in recent years, mainly due to the continuous emergence of organizations categorized within this concept during the economic crisis and pandemic caused by the COVID-19 virus. However, very little research has been done on the team associated with social gastronomy. And in Brazil, this movement has been growing in recent years, highlighting here in this work a social project in partnership with the university in a peripheral neighborhood of one of the largest metropolises in Brazil, Fortaleza. The Federal University of Ceará Social Gastronomy Program (Gastronomia Social UFC), an extension program of the Federal University of Ceará, promotes qualification courses for young people and adults, residents of the city of Fortaleza-CE, especially in the neighborhoods that make up the Grande Bom Jardim (Canindezinho, Bom Jardim, Siqueira, Granja Portugal, and Granja Lisboa), in communities whose population is prone to social risks, since this entire area has a high level of violence and a low HDI. Therefore, the present study aims to analyze the social impacts of the courses offered by the Social Gastronomy Program in People's Garden in 2019. The research was qualitative, quantitative, exploratory, and descriptive, carried out between February and March of 2021 through an electronic form with a sample of 51 students participating in the courses. The results showed that the courses promoted favorable social impacts for the community and provided opportunities to improve the quality of life, skills, and techniques in gastronomy, fulfilling a role commonly expected by the extension of the Federal University of Ceará.
ABSTRACT
Objective: The economic and political crisis experienced by Brazil, together with the COVID-19 pandemic, may have negatively impacted the food consumption of Brazilian families over recent years. This study aimed to analyze trends in food consumption among adults in a Brazilian northeastern state. Methods: This was an epidemiological study which involved the analysis of data from the Food and Nutrition Surveillance System (SISVAN) relating to the food consumption of adults (20-59 years-of-age) in the state of Ceará in 2015 and 2020. Data are presented by frequency distribution. Results: In the year 2015-2020, the food consumption of 14,840 adults were registered in SISVAN. There was evidence of a decline in the habit of having three main meals a day (-63.5%), mainly among women (-67.9%). Between 2015 and 2020, there was a decline in the consumption of beans (-7.4%) and an increase in the consumption of fruits (68.2%) and vegetables (82.9%). When considering ultra-processed foods, there was a significant increase in the consumption of hamburgers and sausages (83.3%), cookies (39.1%) and sweetened beverages (25.5%). Conclusions: Our findings indicate that the habit of having three main meals a day decreased between 2015 and 2020 in the adult population of Ceará, as determined by public data available in SISVAN, especially among women. In addition, there was an increase in the consumption of ultra-processed foods. Therefore, health interventions aimed at nutritional education and the fight against hunger are essential to face these challenges that affect society.