The researcher from Observatório do Meio Rural (OMR), a non-governmental organization, says it is abstract to say that 90% Mozambicans have three meals a day, if they are not the most adequate.

According to Mariamo Abas, quoted by VOA, who was reacting to the Minister of Agriculture's statement in Parliament that "90% of the Mozambican population is able to meet its minimum calorie needs", the OMR's analysis concludes that 50% of the Mozambican population can be considered to be in a situation of acute food insecurity, around 40% of the population is in a situation of acute stress food insecurity, and 10% of the population has high levels of acute food insecurity.

For Mariamo Abas, who is also the coordinator of OMR's Environment Line, the issue of proteins raised by the Minister of Agriculture is debatable.

"Calories measure the level of energy, and if we only consume corn, depending on the amount consumed, we can reach a level of calories that we want for that day, but that doesn't mean that the person is eating a minimally adequate diet, you need to include micro and macronutrients," he said.

However, the researcher also questioned whether "an individual can have five meals, but if each of those meals consists of a cassava or a banana, does that person have an adequate diet?"