Around 800 people in Setúbal’s district will be covered by the food support programme that will be launched in December through the issuance of food cards, states the Secretary of State for Social Action and Inclusion, Clara Marques Mendes.

As stated by the Secretary of State, the food basket will be distributed to 65 thousand people in a simultaneous operation with the remaining 55 thousand receiving food cards.

The Operational Programme to Support the Most Disadvantaged People (POAPMC), a European-funded initiative, supports this policy as a means of addressing poverty and social exclusion in Portugal.

According to Clara Marques Mendes, “This programme is being implemented, it will reach 120 thousand people and will be implemented during the month of December in the district of Setúbal”. Further sharing, “117,488 people are registered in this food programme, which means that at this moment there is still the possibility of this programme reaching more people”.

The 25-item basket that is given to families includes vegetables, pulses, preserves, dairy products, olive oil, cereals, and fish, among other items. It ensures that 50% of the energy and nutritional requirements are met during the four main meals of the day. Regarding the food cards, each head of each household will have 50.95 euros placed onto the card, and each of the other members of the family will have 35.67 euros (70%) added to it. For instance, a household consisting of two adults and two children will get 157.96 euros.

When Ana Mendes Godinho was the Ministry of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security during the previous socialist government of António Costa, the social card was first taken into consideration.

However, even with the ordinance that established and governed the measure published in January 2022, it was repeatedly postponed. The present government claims that the legislation, which goes into effect more than two years later, gives the most disadvantaged families "greater freedom and dignity" by enabling them to select and purchase the items that "best suit their preferences and habits."