Research into the basic food basket in the municipality of Girua/RS

The aim of this study is to look at the evolution of the prices of the Basic Food Basket in the town of Girua, located in the Missions region of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, between August and November 2010, to compare them with prices in other towns in the region and in Sao Paulo/SP, to compare them with the national minimum wage, as well as to analyse falls or rises in prices and identify the factors responsible for them. To carry out the study, monthly price surveys were carried out in a supermarket of 31 products included in the National Basic Food Basket drawn up by Procon in Sao Paulo, based on the consumption of a standard Sao Paulo family. The theoretical approaches used to carry out the study cover topics such as: the concept of the Basic Basket, food and nutrition policies in Brazil, food consumption in Brazil after the Real Plan, the minimum wage, customer needs and market variations.