Direito humano à alimentação adequada: relação entre o salário mínimo e a cesta básica no Brasil

Abstract

The Human Right to Adequate Food (HRAF), established by the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), guarantees access to sufficient and safe food. In Brazil, this right was incorporated into the Constitution through Constitutional Amendment No. 64 of 2010, which mandates government actions for its implementation. The Minimum Wage Policy, essential for covering basic needs, is linked to the HRAF, but the current National Basic Food Basket is outdated and needs to be revised to reflect contemporary nutritional needs and ensure dignified nourishment. This study aimed to analyze, through a bibliographic review, the limits and possibilities of the Brazilian minimum wage as a means of ensuring the purchasing power of an adult worker. Thus, this paper explores the role of the minimum wage policy as a crucial instrument for guaranteeing the Human Right to Adequate Food (HRAF) for the most vulnerable social groups. The research, based on documents from various institutions and publications on the basic food basket, minimum wage, and adequate food, analyzes the effectiveness of the minimum wage in promoting the HRAF. The study is divided into three parts: the first addresses the importance of the HRAF in ensuring human rights; the second examines the Minimum Wage Policy, its historical and methodological aspects; and the third evaluates the nutritional composition of the National Basic Food Basket, seeking to understand how the minimum wage policy can be improved to better guarantee the HRAF.