Venezuelan family needs $772 for basic food, says NGO

A Venezuelan family of five requires $772.74 for their monthly food expenses, marking a 5.7% increase from April, according to the Venezuelan Teachers' Federation's Center for Social Documentation and Analysis (Cendas-FVM). This represents an additional $42.15 needed compared to the previous month. The organization also noted that a family requires $12.31 for potable water, as piped water in Venezuela often fails to meet basic quality standards. The Venezuelan Constitution guarantees workers a wage sufficient for a dignified life and to cover essential needs, but the current minimum wage, frozen at 130 bolivars ($0.21) since 2022, covers a mere 0.03% of the food basket. Public sector employees receive two monthly bonuses totaling $240, which do not contribute to labor benefits. Despite these figures, Venezuela's Central Bank reported a 6.3% inflation rate in May, the lowest in 19 months. The U.S. envoy in Caracas, John Barrett, attributed this decrease to the "concrete results" of U.S. policy following the capture of Nicolás Maduro.

“

The Venezuelan Constitution establishes that every worker has the right to a salary "sufficient to allow them to live with dignity and cover for themselves and their family the basic material, social and intellectual needs."