Ruth Cardos, the wife of the Brazilian President, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, has described looting of foodstores in the north-east of the country as a socially acceptable response to hunger in the region caused by recurrent drought.

Mrs Cardoso said it went beyond questions of social exploitation.

Ruth Cardoso was speaking on Wednesdayto financiers in Sao Paulo to raise support for official programmes to relieve poverty in Brazil.