EXPANDING THE POLICY AGENDA FOR HEALTHY FOOD CONSUMPTION AFTER COVID-19

Our study aimed to expand the policy agenda for healthy food consumption considering the Brazilian context and the lessons learned from eating behavior and social norms during the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors used an electronic survey to identify food consumption patterns in Rio de Janeiro before and during the pandemic. We observed that women have higher self-perception of healthier eating habits than men since they believe they have a more balanced diet, especially in the poorest classes. This factor can be explained by a possible sexist behavior that associated a diet rich in fruits and vegetables with women's eating habits. In addition, during the pandemic, the poorest have more difficulty in buying fruits and vegetables than the richest had. We also found that the wealthier classes usually waste more food than the poorest. Besides, more than 50% of our respondents declared that they had gained weight during the pandemic.