FOOD STREET TRADING IN A CITY OF ALTO VALE DO JEQUITINHONHA, MINAS GERAIS

Abstract

Considering the economic and social importance of street markets, this study aimed to
analyze the dynamic of food street trading in a city of the Vale do Jequitinhonha, Minas
Gerais. Twenty-seven weekly visits were made to the free market to identify the fair
dealers and their products, as well as the source, production method and forms of food
transport. Twenty-three stallholders were identified and they all sold their own
production. The most commercialized food products were orange, banana, green onions, 

cabbage and egg. Analysis of the major traded food discloses a production system
guided by the local supply of resources and related to the environment, climate and soil
of the region. It is concluded that the fair is a major site of markets for local family
farms and in this way know their dynamics and encourage its proper functioning, means
providing the population with access to a greater variety of products, and contribute to
the local economy .