A total of 2,767 tons of food was collected in supermarkets up and down the country last weekend to bolster the Food Bank’s ongoing campaign to fight hunger in Portugal. The good news couldn’t come at a better time. New statistics show that one in five Portuguese are suffering anaemia due to a poor diet as a result of the ongoing crisis.
For now, last weekend’s food stash will be distributed among 2,280 social solidarity institutions throughout the coming week.
Organisers admit they were surprised by the warmth and generosity of the Portuguese people. “The results are extraordinary,” president of the federation of food banks Isabel Jonet said in her organisation’s press release.
And more food may still be on the way. Figures released on Monday did not include the ‘Campanha Vale’ and the online campaigns, which will be open to donations until the end of the week and have been growing in popularity.
“We are pleased that we continue to mobilise so many Portuguese people and generate high participation levels,” added Jonet.
But the desperate problems of hunger grind on. Recent results revealed by the Anaemia Working Group in Portugal show that the situation is serious. According to Cândida Fonseca, vice-president of the group, the number of Portuguese suffering from low levels of iron in their bodies is “very much higher than the estimate by the World Health Organisation”. One in five Portuguese suffer from anaemia – and 30% of these show “very serious iron deficiencies”.
“People are eating less red meat,” Cândida Fonseca told Correio da Manhã, adding “this is a reflection of the economic crisis that affects the country.”
Symptoms of anaemia, characterised by a lack of red blood cells, include tiredness, pallor, mood swing, hair-loss and lack of libido.
The working group’s study has stressed the need for prevention strategies as well as speedy diagnosis and treatment of the disease. In many cases (84%), anaemia goes unrecognised by the people who have it.
