Published 01 Jul,2020 via FRANCE 24 - Lebanon’s economic downturn has caused food insecurity for poor and middle class families, who are finding it difficult to afford staples such as bread, butter and cooking oil. Local collectives are distributing free meals in Beirut, but the devaluation of Lebanon’s currency makes it hard to obtain vital ingredients like rice and lentils. FRANCE 24’s Leila-Molana Allen reports.
For several months, Georges Jassous and his family have had to give up buying certain foods, as Lebanon experiences unprecedented inflation. Jassous has earned nothing for months, but still has to provide daily meals for his 5 grandchildren, whose parents are unemployed.
"A pat of butter costs 16,000 Lebanese pounds (€9.4),” Jassous said. “We go without. As for vegetable oil, we buy it as needed. Cans are overpriced they went from 5,000 LL to 10, then to 15 and to 20,000 (€11.8). We now also deprive ourselves of oil, only buying small quantities.”
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