[Regime of scarcity: food in the female penitentiary system]

The female prison population is on the increase in the world. This population is being exposed to precarious conditions of confinement that often prevent or hinder access to food of effective and equitable quality, thereby representing a considerable problem within the scope of public health. This paper aims to understand the aspects of food in the female penitentiary system of the state of Paraíba. It involved research with a qualitative approach, developed in all the female prisons in the state of Paraíba. The participants of this research are 16 women in the prison context. These results show that the context of incarceration makes it impossible to guarantee the right to food, concerning food availability, adequacy, accessibility and stability of supply. The condition of incarcerated women affects the dimension of the right of access to adequate food. Food for human beings must be understood as a process of using nature to produce healthy and civilized people. For this, it is essential that practices that promote the right to healthy food should consider the principles that relate to it and, thus, overcome discriminatory and authoritarian practices.