• The right-wing partisan group accounted for 35.28% of the profiles involved in the Twitter debate about supermarket expenses, commenting on the efforts made by the federal government to reduce taxes and halt the increase in prices;
• Groups criticizing the government accounted for 40.5% of the interactions in the period, showing their concern regarding the precariousness of food consumption of Brazilians due to the discrepancy in the minimum wage and the increase in basic food products;
• At the center of the debate about food prices and the polarization regarding the inflation, users were nostalgic about meat products when remembering times of abundance.

Between March 29 and June 5, there were 334.7 thousand mentions on Twitter to the recent increases in food prices for Brazilians, according to a survey by the Department of Public Policy Analysis at Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV DAPP). The moment with the highest mobilization around the topic happened on May 12, when the debate reached 27 thousand tweets. On that day, the highlight was a series of posts made by President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) about the reduction in federal taxes for fuels, some food products and medications.

Evolution of the debate about food prices on Twitter
Period: March 29 to June 5, 2022

Source: Twitter | Elaborated by: FGV DAPP

In the context of users concerned with the impact of inflation on food consumption in general, meat products were a highlight in the debate. These products were the most mentioned in the period and appeared in 58.5 thousand tweets (or 17.5% of the posts). In addition to the indignation with meat prices in some regions of the country, many profiles expressed their frustration with the fact that Brazilians currently find it difficult to have barbecues as often as a few years ago.

Map of interactions in the debate about food prices on Twitter
Period: March 29 to June 5, 2022

Source: Twitter | Elaborated by: FGV DAPP

Right wing – 35.28% of profiles | 39.57% of interactions
Group formed around right-wing politicians and bloggers and influencers from the conservative wing, commenting on efforts by the federal government to reduce taxes and stop the increase in the price of products such as meat, coffee, soy oil and sugar. Some posts questioned the attempts to attribute the increase in inflation to the economic policy of the current administration; other profiles also agreed with the federal government’s opinion that Brazilian agribusiness is responsible for food security at a global level.

Left wing – 24.81% of profiles | 30.04% of interactions
Group formed around left-wing politicians, social activists and journalists criticizing the federal government and expressing frustration with the increase in food prices, blaming the right-wing administrations – especially the current one – that have governed the country for six years. Drawing parallels between the value of products and recent increases in fuel prices, the posts lamented the inconveniences generated by inflation, such as the need to ration cooking gas and the impossibility of having more complete meals or even barbecues.

Media – 6.08% of profiles | 5.36% of interactions
Group composed of traditional media channels, journalists and humor profiles commenting on the details about the increase in the price of some supermarket products. Mentioning inflation figures, the posts highlighted the differences in purchasing power between 2018 and 2022 and between 2019 and 2022, and the percentage increase in the value of tomatoes, onions, carrots and meat in the last twelve months. Some profiles also commented on attempts made by President Jair Bolsonaro to minimize the gravity of the situation.

Digital influencers ‒ 5.38% of profiles | 5.00% of interactions
Group formed by digital influencers, youtubers, bloggers and artists, who are very concerned with the devaluation of the minimum wage, the current price of some food products, and the possibility of Brazil returning to the global hunger map. Posting ironic memes about the loss of purchasing power of Brazilians, some publications also sought to promote the campaign “Brazil has worsened” as a way of denouncing the constant increase in inflation in the country.

Major tweets in each group in the debate about food prices
Period: March 29 to June 5, 2022

Source: Twitter | Elaborated by: FGV DAPP

Facebook

On Facebook, the news with the most engagement between March 29 and June 5, 2022 ‒ in terms of reactions, comments and shares ‒ mainly dealt with how the rising inflation has affected the purchasing power in supermarkets and the food consumption for Brazilians. Other news addressed the devaluation of the minimum wage, actions taken by the federal government to reduce taxes, and the population’s reaction to a sale in a supermarket in the Federal District.

News about food prices with the most engagement on Facebook
Period: March 29 to June 5, 2022

Source: Facebook | Elaborated by: FGV DAPP