Venezuelan Food Crisis Update: People Now Losing Weight Due To Cutting, Skipping Meals

The food crisis in Venezuela continues to be unsolved and people are now eating meals in fewer portions and at less frequency. Due to this, people in the area are starting to lose weight.

Venezuela's economic and political crises have contributed to the food shortage problem. A new research regarding the country's living standards was conducted and they found out nearly three-quarters of the population said their weight decreased drastically.

The problem started after the oil price plummeted in 2014 and the new policies of President Nicolas Maduro resulted in the mass shortages of not only food but also other basic necessities. The Venezuela Living Conditions Survey concluded 81 percent of Venezuelan households are now living in income poverty. This was an increase from the75.6 percentage recorded in 2015, CNBC reported.

Venezuela Living Conditions Survey also found 74.3 percent of the population lost an average of 8.7 kilograms in weight and around 9.6 million of the total population eats two or lesser meals every day. The latest survey is the third of its kind and it is administered by the Central University of Venezuela, the Andrés Bello Catholic University and the Simón Bolívar University.

The number of people who said they are eating two or lesser meals in a day nearly tripled as compared to 2015. It rose to 32.5 percent from 11.3 in 2015.

CNN also reported about a Venezuelan mother who told the publication she and her family eat whatever is cheapest in the season. "What I have at home is enough to give them a plain arepa and it's very little for each one," the mother, Grecia Gonzales, said. "And for me, I don't care about going without eating. As a mother you're always thinking about feeding [your children]."

Aside from food, toilet paper and healthcare supplies are scarce. Venezuela cannot pay to import goods because of government policies and years of shortage and mismanaged funds.

Maduro denied there is a crisis in the past. On Sunday, however, he announced there was an increase of 42 percent for the food vouchers that some Venezuelan workers receive.