80% of households in Venezuela experience food insecurity

A recent paper published in the Journal of Social Sciences and Medicine discusses the nutrition crisis in Venezuela using statistics from the 2017 National Living Conditions Survey (ENCOVI).

80% of Venezuelan households in 2017 were food insecure; that number has likely increased. To put that in context, that’s twice the rate in neighboring Colombia and more than six times the rate of food insecurity in the US. The food insecurity rates in Colombia and the US are 40% and 12.% respectively. and most households receiving government food assistance reported only occasional receipt. (Source, Source)

75% of households receive government food support in the form of CLAP boxes, a mismanaged welfare program established in 2016. These boxes are distributed irregularly, especially for Venezuelans living outside of Caracas, Venezuela’s capital.

For more research on this subject, check out this report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies: Maduro Diet: Food vs Freedom in Venezuela