Analysis
Food insecurity in Brazil **worsened significantly** during Bolsonaro’s term (2019–2022), with the **number of Brazilians facing hunger doubling** from 10.3 million (2018) to **33.1 million (2022)**, per the *Rede Penssan* report. This reversal followed progress under Lula’s prior administrations (2003–2010), when hunger fell sharply due to social programs like *Bolsa Família*. However, the phrase *'crime against humanity'*—a legal term under international law (e.g., Rome Statute)—requires **systematic, intentional deprivation of food as state policy**, which has **not been proven** in Bolsonaro’s case. The spike in hunger was linked to **economic crises, COVID-19, and cuts to social programs**, not a deliberate campaign.
Background
Brazil was **removed from the UN’s *Hunger Map*** in 2014 after a decade of progress under Lula and Dilma Rousseff, but **re-entered it in 2022** due to rising food insecurity. Bolsonaro’s government **reduced funding for food security programs** (e.g., *PAA*, *PNAE*) and dismantled the *National Council for Food and Nutritional Security (CONSEA)* in 2019. Critics argue these policies exacerbated hunger, though Bolsonaro’s allies attribute the crisis to **global inflation and pandemic fallout**.
Verdict summary
Lula’s claim that hunger returned to Brazil under Bolsonaro is **supported by data**, but calling it a *crime against humanity* is a **subjective, legally unproven exaggeration**.