Urbanization and food transition in the Brazilian Amazon: From wild to domesticated meat

Urbanization is expected to influence food transitions, resulting in a shift from wild foods to more domesticated foods. Concomitantly, food insecurity and urban demand for natural resources, including wildlife, are expected to increase overall, even when the per capita consumption is expected to decrease. These issues bring challenges to ecosystems and human well-being. We examined how the degree of urbanization and socioeconomic factors, such as poverty and connections to rural areas, influences the consumption of and preferences for meat from wildlife (mammals, birds and turtles), fish and domesticated animals. We administered 1367 questionnaires to randomly selected households across 10 urban areas in Amazonas state, Brazil. We found that degree of urbanization was associated with a food transition from consuming wildlife and fish to consuming domesticated animals. Taste preference for meat from wildlife and fish decreased with the degree of urbanization. Rural connections were associated with increased consumption of and preference for wild meat (meat from wildlife) and fish. Poverty was associated with increased consumption of fish and processed meat and decreased consumption of beef and pork, with important implications for how food transitions affect households experiencing poverty. These results highlight the spatial, social and economic heterogeneity of consumption and preference. Policy and social interventions, such as campaigns to reduce consumption of vulnerable species or targeted enforcement against poaching, will need to consider this heterogeneity to be effective and avoid unintended consequences, such as worsening food insecurity. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.