Known for its stunning tropical rainforest, colorful festivals, world-class soccer, and pristine beaches, the
rapidly growing nation of Brazil is gaining notoriety for a more troubling reason: an obsession with meat.
But even in the face of societal turmoil, political corruption, and an unsustainable food system, a quiet butpowerful plant-based revolution bubbles beneath the surface. Rachel Krantz and Bruna Tomasuolo
uncover why this country of 209 million is poised to lead Latin America into a meat-free tomorrow.BRAZIL
VEGAN NATION?
THE NEXT GREAT
42 VegNews SUMMER 2019
P
LANT-BASED LIVING is
swiftly gaining popularity
all around the world—
but looking at Brazil, you
wouldn’t know it. The
South American country
is the world’s second-largest beef producer,
second-largest chicken producer, third-
largest pork producer, and fifth-highest
meat consumer. Brazil is also home to
two of the five top meat producers on the
planet. Meat consumption in the planet’s
fifth most-populous country has exploded,almost doubling since 1990 to nearly 220
pounds per person each year.
Meanwhile, Brazil’s radically
conservative new president, Jair
Bolsonaro, has been outspoken in his anti-
environmental stance, promising to roll
back protections of the Amazon rainforest
and implement unprecedented monitoring
of non-profit organizations. Mere hours
after Bolsonaro took office, he transferred
regulation of indigenous rainforest reserves
to the Ministry of Agriculture, which (not
unlike the USDA in the United States)is heavily influenced by agribusiness
lobbying dollars.
Yet the country boasts progressive food
policies. Several cities have implemented
Meatless Monday programs, and the
Ministry of Health’s Dietary Guidelines for
the Brazilian Population has recommended
a lowered consumption of animal products,
as well as an emphasis on reducing
processed foods, encouraging people
to opt for whole foods cooked at home.
Meanwhile, interest in veganism is only
growing; according to a recent survey, a