CARNE DE CAÇA, COVID-19 E SEGURANÇA ALIMENTAR NO MUNICÍPIO DE  ABAETETUBA, AMAZÔNIA PARAENSE

Tayara Silva Costa; Deise C. Lima de Oliveira; Carlos Frederico  Alves de Vasconcelos-Neto; Pedro Mayor; Dídac  Santos-Fita

Tayara Silva Costa Universidade Federal do Pará
Deise C. Lima de Oliveira Universidade Federal do Pará
Carlos Frederico Alves de Vasconcelos-Neto Universidade Federal do Pará
Pedro Mayor Comunidad de Manejo de Fauna Silvestre en la Amazonía y América
Dídac Santos-Fita Instituto Amazônico de Agriculturas Familiares (INEAF), Universidade Federal do Pará. Rua

Keywords: animal protein, eating habits, ethnozoology, free fair, use and management of wild fauna

Abstract

The present work is the result of a study that aimed to characterize the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the consumption of wild fauna and its products intended for feeding, analyzing if consumers associate game meat with the contagion of the new coronavirus and, consequently, it is believed that the frequent consumption of wild animals can threaten Food and Nutrition Security (FNS) in the city of Abaetetuba/PA. The field period was between September 2019 and November 2020, with some gaps between visits to Abaetetuba. The main instrument of the methodology used was a questionnaire registered via the internet, of an anonymous and voluntary nature aimed at people over 18 years of age. As a result of the investigation, we interviewed (N=122) people from Abaetetubas representing the urban core and the rural area of the municipality. It was found that the free fair of the beira of Abaetetuba still represents a place of preservation of social and cultural relations, which strengthen affective bonds and local knowledge. The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted, to some extent, the consumption of wild animals. With the low supply of animal protein at the fair and the increase in domestic meats (cattle, chicken, pork), there has been an increase in the consumption of game meat, even though the price of this has also been high in the pandemic period. Game meat has become a cheaper, healthier and more durable alternative (since it is sold in salted blankets). Consumers stated that they did not associate the contagion of COVID-19 with the consumption of game meat, as well as they did not believe that the frequent consumption of wild animals could threaten FNS in the municipality.