With fixed salaries, income reaches less and less with persistent inflation that has already accumulated 9 consecutive months of rise. The loss of purchasing power impacts the collapse of consumption, but even worse, the food of workers.
This is reflected in a report from the Social Debt Observatory of the Argentine Catholic University (UCA) which reveals that the vast majority of salaried workers, 8 out of 10 (83.5%), face difficulties in eating adequately. The most affected are lower-income, unskilled workers and small businesses, where food vulnerability intensifies.
The UCA points out that 61.1% of employees stopped eating during their work hours for economic reasons. 46.7% occasionally and another 14.4% regularly. “Income fails to cover food costs during the day, forcing them to sacrifice their nutritional well-being as an adjustment mechanism against the current cost of living,” the report highlights. The situation worsens among young people between 18 and 29 years old, reaching 70%.
He also adds that 26% of employees have difficulty getting a break from work to eat.
Another phenomenon of self-adjustment by income is the change to less nutritious foods. The survey carried out throughout the country detects that 78.5% of workers have had to opt for less healthy foods due to budgetary restrictions. This difference of almost 20 percentage points with respect to skipping meals (61.1%) “suggests that, in the face of economic pressure, the majority of workers do not resign.”
initially to intake, but to its nutritional value.”
In this way, 8 out of 10 workers are forced to complete their day with cheaper and less nutritious options, “transforming work nutrition into a risk factor for long-term health,” concludes the UCA.
Food basket above inflation
This Tuesday, the Institute of Statistics and Censuses of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires (IDECBA) published the data on Poverty Lines and Consumption Baskets for the City. In February, the baskets used to measure poverty and indigence increased around 3%, above the general inflation of the month (2.6%).
Thus, families (with 2 elderly adults and 2 children) living in the City of Buenos Aires needed income of at least 1,440,146 pesos in February to not be poor without counting rent.
The data reflects the sharp increase in the cost of living, with essential goods and services for subsistence being more expensive than the general level, hitting the most vulnerable.
In order not to be considered indigent, at least 791,579 pesos were needed, an increase of 3.14%. Meanwhile, the Total Basic Basket, which establishes the poverty threshold by incorporating other essential expenses such as transportation, education or clothing, also advanced 3.11% in the second month of the year.
Compared to last year, the increase is notable. In February 2025, the poverty line for a typical family was 1,089,146 pesos, while in 2026 it rose to 1,440,147 pesos (+32.2%). Regarding indigence, the minimum necessary income went from 581,583 to 791,579 pesos (36.1%).
The basic food and total basket rise more than inflation, but the Government responds with adjustment, regressive reforms and poverty wages. Only mobilization and unity from below can stop this looting and open a path so that the usual people do not continue to pay for the crisis.
Source: www.laizquierdadiario.com
