Mangoes fill the gaps in Venezuela's food crisis

'Mangoes help a little; they fill you up.'

More and more people are turning to Venezuela's lush fruit trees inthe crisis-hit nation of 30 million, where the poor especially are consuming more starch and less protein.

'Sometimes when there's nothing in the fridge, I grab two mangoes.'

This is 13-year-oldJuany Iznaga, holding a mango and a knife,whose family livesin the fertile town of LaFria,by the Colombian border. The Iznagasaregoing without some meals since Juany'smother lost herjob at the mayor's office.

In the capital, too, workers are looking for fruit.

While children have always scampered up trees or tossed stones to knock down juicy yellow mangoes, workers (like this one in Caracas on Monday)arejoining them onlunch breaks.

Sweet tropical fruits are no substitute for a proper diet.

Protests are spreading as deliveries of groceriesbecomemore elusive. Long lines for increasingly scarce products at supermarkets are a fact of life.

Protesters blamePresident NicolasMaduro.

This protest calling for a referendum to removeMaduro whom many Venezuelans blame for theenergy crisisbehind the food shortages drew riot policemenin Caracas on Thursday.

Along with the demonstrations,looting isbecoming more common amid worsening food shortages, frequent power and water cuts, and inflation that is the highest in the world.

There'salways money at the fruit stand.

As the recession reduces employment and inflation crushes spending power, street corners are increasingly brimming with informal vendors selling freshly picked fruit.

Below, Josue Moreno, 19, whoquit his job four months ago at a bottled waterplantwhere he made $7 US a month, now sells coconuts under the leafy shade of a busy street in La Fria.