San Juan - Some 67 percent of Puerto Rican households live below the poverty level, which greatly limits access to a balanced diet, warned on Thursday Denise Santos, president of the Food Bank.

People suffering from food insecurity represent 33.2 percent in the country, which implies that approximately three out of 10 adults meet the definition of food insecurity, she added.

Santos sustained that poverty and food insecurity are intertwined, so she called on citizens, on behalf of the Food Bank, to commemorate this Friday the Day of Hunger Awareness.

Since Puerto Rico has been subject to US colonial domination for 121 years, there is widespread belief, encouraged by the media ad of the 60s and 70s of the last century, that the people do not live in a state of precariousness.

However, as Santos says, 67 percent of households on Puerto Rico live below the poverty level, which highly reduces access to food that includes the nutrients necessary for their own comprehensive welfare.

Santos revealed that thanks to the development of partnerships, the Food Bank annually distributes an average of 12 million pounds of food in Puerto Rico and serves over 1.2 million people, through affiliated agencies and community impact programs.