Government is studying Caixa as a VR operator to reduce food prices, says portal

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva would be analyzing a set of 10 measures to combat the rise in food prices, which includes proposals such as reducing the cost of electronic transactions, bringing forward the new basic food basket, selling medicines in supermarkets and strategies to reduce waste. The information is from the portal UOL.

The suggestions were presented by the Brazilian Supermarket Association (Abras) in a meeting with Lula, held on November 21, and have since been discussed with the Minister of Agriculture, Carlos Fávaro.

The Minister of the Civil House, Rui Costa, highlighted that these proposals form the basis of the actions that the government intends to implement. Costa sparked controversy when he mentioned an “intervention” in food prices, an approach that, according to UOLwould not be considered in current discussions.

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Abras, represented by its president João Galassi, emphasized the need to reduce costs, stating that “we are not in a position to discuss exchange rates or interest, but we have a line of expenses that only go up and we can reduce this”.

One of the proposals that has generated debate is the transformation of Caixa Econômica Federal into an operator of meal voucher and food voucher programs, with the aim of eliminating the participation of financial institutions that currently profit from these transactions.

Galassi revealed that the profit margins of these operators vary between 6% and 10%, a percentage that, according to him, ends up being passed on to food prices, directly impacting consumers.

Another suggestion, which, according to the UOLfaces resistance, is the adoption of the “Best Before” system, which aims to reduce food waste by allowing the sale of products after their expiration date, as long as they do not pose health risks.

This measure, already used in other countries, could potentially reduce the R$4.3 billion in food that is discarded annually in Brazil, with estimates that R$2 billion could be saved.

This Thursday (23), the Minister of Agrarian Development, Paulo Teixeira, said that the government is not considering changing the food expiration date system to reduce the prices of these products.

Furthermore, Abras proposes the sale of medicines without a prescription in supermarkets, which could result in a 35% reduction in medicine prices.

The anticipation of the new basic food basket is also under discussion, which includes exemptions on products such as meat, although this measure involves tax waivers at a time when the government is seeking to cut expenses.

Other suggestions include tax exemptions for food donations and the flexibility of employment contracts, aiming to encourage the hiring of young people and people over 60 years of age.