Nutritional emergency in the Yanomami territory: actions developed to combat hunger and the interface with commercial determinants of health

The Yanomami Indigenous Territory is the largest in Brazil and was the stage of an emergency operation to address a health crisis involving the deaths of 570 children under five years of age from preventable causes between 2019 and 2022, resulting from illegal mining and the dismantling of the health system. In January 2023, a Public Health Emergency of National Concern was declared in this territory. The objective of the study was to analyze food and nutrition initiatives carried out by different actors in 2023 and 2024 in light of the commercial determinants of health. Through the analysis of documents and secondary data, 14 commercial actors, 27 nongovernmental organizations, and two international organizations were mapped. Among the 35 actions identified, food distribution (n = 16, 45.7%) and fundraising campaigns (n = 8, 22.8%) predominated and the majority (n = 27, 77.1%) occurred through interactions among the actors. In 81.3% (n = 13) of the food donations, the types of food were not described, but the donation of ultra-processed foods occurred. Commercial actors sought to position themselves as “partners” during the humanitarian crisis, working alongside nongovernmental actors who responded to the emergency situation. However, most initiatives lacked transparency, with no description of the foods donated or how the funds were used. The results indicate factors associated with reputation management and social washing practices carried out by commercial actors and nongovernmental organizations.

Keywords:
Indigenous Peoples; Food Security; Hunger; Commercial Determinants of Health