Venezuela has probably met the most difficult period in its modern history. A lot of poor people have almost nothing to eat. Supermarkets' shelves are full with different types of sodas which no one buys, while essential products like milk are no where to be found. "Living in a severe recession and a dysfunctional state-run economy, poorer families say they sometimes skip meals and rely more on starch foods"[Reuters].

Soaring prices and rampant shortages of most goods have left many Venezuelans struggling to put regular food on their tables and maintain a balanced diet.

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According to a recent study, 87% of Venezuelans say their income is now insufficient to purchase their food needs. Shoppers routinely spend hours in lines to buy staples such as corn flour and laundry soap, turning lines into sites of shoving matches and now more frequent attempts to plunder shops.

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A minimum wage is now only about 20% of the cost of feeding a family of five, according to a monitoring group cited by Reuters. Lines snake around state-run supermarkets, where regulations keep prices low, from before dawn.

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"We eat today, but we do not know what we will eat tomorrow," Francisca Landaeta said. "We are bad — I never thought it would come to this."

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All the food available in the house of Francisca Landaeta and her family is pictured at their home.

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"We have about 15 days eating bread with cheese or arepa with cheese," Lender Perez said. "We are eating worse than before, because we can't find food and those we can find we can't afford."

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All the food available in the house of Lender Perez and his family is pictured at their home

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"I have to leave the house at 5 a.m., facing the risk of being killed, to stand in line all day and only buy two or three products," Jhonny Mendez said.

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All the food available in the house of Jhonny Mendez and his family is pictured at their home

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"I'm eating less and also I'm eating excess things that should not be eaten" Antonia Torres said.

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All the food available in the house of Antonia Torres and her family is pictured at their home

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"I breakfast on either an arepa or a tamale, to eat, at least two times a day" Mirella Rivero said.

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All the food available in the house of Mirella Rivero and her family is pictured at their home

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"With the money we used to spend on breakfast, lunch, and dinner, we can now buy only breakfast — and not a very good one," Alida Gonzalez said.

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All the food available in the house of Alida Gonzalez and her family is pictured at their home

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"Now eating is a luxury, before we could earn some money and buy clothes or something, now everything goes on food," Yaneidy Guzman said.

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All the foods available in the house of Yaneidy Guzman and her family is pictured at their home

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"We're a big family, and it's constantly getting harder for us to eat," Ricardo Mendez said.

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All the food available in the house of Ricardo Mendez and his family is pictured at their home

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"We are eating in a bad way," Duglas Sanchez said. "We can not eat a balanced way. If we had lunch, not dinner, and if we had dinner, not breakfast."

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All the food available in the house of Duglas Sanchez and his family is pictured at their home

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"We are eating less because you can't find the foods, and when they appear, the queues are hellish and we can't buy them," Victoria Mata said. "Now we do not eat three meals. We are eating two meals a day, if we have them."

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All the food available in the house of Victoria Mata and her family is pictured at their home

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"Before we were able to buy food for 15 days, now only we can cover our food needs for the day," Romulo Bonalde said.

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All the food available in the house of Romulo Bonalde and his family is pictured at their home

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Yunni Perez, right, next to her relatives, from left, Carlos Acosta, Adrian Gonzalez, Luis Oliveros, Luis Oliveros, and Hector Acosta at their home in Caracas

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All the food available in the house of Yunni Perez and her family is pictured at their home

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"We are eating less, because we have been limiting ourselves," Antonio Marquez said. "We used to keep the refrigerator full, but now is no longer so."

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All the food available in the house of Antonio Marquez and his family is pictured at their home

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Mario Bedoya and his wife, Carmen Bedoya, at their home in Caracas

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All the food available in the house of Mario Bedoya and his wife, Carmen Bedoya, is pictured at their home

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"We are eating badly," Rosa Elaisa Landaez said. "For example, if we have corn flour, we eat arepas all day. If you have the money, you can't find the foods, and if you find you them, you do not have enough money."

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All the food available in the house of Rosa Elaisa Landaez and her family is pictured at their home

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