Brazil’s National School Feeding Program (PNAE) is universal, which means all  students enrolled in basic education (the mandatory, publicly funded  foundational levels of formal education in Brazil) are entitled to it. This includes  those at state schools at federal, state, district, and municipal levels (early  childhood education, primary education, secondary education, and youth and  adult education), and those enrolled in non-profit philanthropic and community run schools.

The PNAE offers adequate and healthy meals, primarily consisting of fresh and  minimally processed foods, and also promotes food and nutrition education  (EAN)

The National Fund for the Development of Education (FNDE) is the institution  responsible for the PNAE at the national level, under the Ministry of Education.  The states and municipalities that manage schools, act as the PNAE’s  executing entities (EEx) at the local level. The FNDE transfers financial  resources for the purchase of food, which states’ and municipalities’ budgets  must supplement.

Most of EEXs directly manage funds, purchasing food and supplying to schools, and responding for all stages of meal operations. The choice to outsourcing school meal operations is made by a few local public managers, even though it is not a form recommended by the FNDE. ÓAÊ aligns itself with reflections and arguments in support of public management and against outsourcing.

Regarding food procurement, 30% of the funds transferred by the FNDE –  approximately R$ 1.2 billion per year (USD 197,368,421)1 – must be allocated to the purchase of food directly from family farmers. The goal is to generate  income, boost local economies, improve the nutritional quality of the meals  provided, and promote regional food culture.

It is important to highlight that the increase in per capita amounts for different  groups of students (although still insufficient) established by the federal  government, the requirement to purchase from family farming and the provision  of adequate and healthy meals were achievements made possible through civil  society mobilisation.

According to Law No. 11,947/2009, the program’s guidelines are

I – the use of healthy and adequate food, including the use of varied, safe foods  that respect culture, traditions, and healthy eating habits, contributing to the  growth and development of students and the improvement of school performance, according to their age group and health condition, including those  who require specific attention;

II – the inclusion of food and nutrition education in the teaching and learning  process, integrated into the school curriculum, addressing the topics of food and  nutrition and the development of healthy life practices from the perspective of  food and nutrition security;

III – Universal access for students enrolled in the public basic education system;

IV – community participation in social control, monitoring action carried out by  the states, the Federal District and municipalities to ensure the provision of  healthy and adequate school meals;

V – support for sustainable development, with incentives for the acquisition of  diversified food products, produced locally and preferably by family farmers and  rural family entrepreneurs, prioritising traditional indigenous communities and  quilombola communities;

VI – the right to school meals, aiming to ensure the food and nutritional security  of students, with equal access, respecting the biological differences between  ages and health conditions of students who require specific attention and those  facing social vulnerability.

School meal menus must be created by a licensed nutritionist based on the  Dietary Guidelines for the Brazilian Population and the Dietary Guidelines for  Brazilian Children Under 2 Years of Age, using primarily fresh or minimally  processed foods and taking into account nutritional needs, eating habits, and  local food culture, as well as focusing on the principles of sustainability,  seasonality, the agricultural diversification of the region, and the promotion of  adequate and healthy eating.

Menus must be adapted to meet the needs of students diagnosed with special  dietary requirements, such as celiac disease, diabetes, hypertension, anemias, food allergies, and intolerances, among others. They must also respect the  cultural specificities of indigenous and other traditional communities.

• Offering ultra-processed products such as processed meat, sweets,  gummies, crisps, soft drinks, and other products with low nutritional value  is prohibited.
• Offering ultra-processed products and the addition of sugar, honey, and  sweeteners in culinary preparations and beverages for children up to  three years of age is prohibited.
• A maximum of 15% of the funds transferred by the FNDE can be used  for purchasing processed and ultra-processed food.
• Offering industrialised trans fats is prohibited for all menus.

According to Law 11,947/2009, at least 30% (thirty percent) of the total financial  resources transferred by federal government to states and municipalities must  be used to purchase food directly from family farmers and rural family  entrepreneurs or their organisations, prioritising agrarian reform settlements,  traditional indigenous communities, quilombola communities and women. It is  important to note that in Brazil, the terms peasants, small farmers, small  producers, or small-scale farmers are grouped into a single category for public  policy purposes: family farming.

The purchase of products from family farming can be done without the need for  a bidding process, through Public Procurement Calls, in which only family  farmers identified by the federal government in its national registers can  participate. In these calls, after local agricultural mapping, the foods and  quantities to be purchased are defined based on the menu created by the  Nutritionist. Public authorities can only purchase from family farming and its  organisations directly, meaning without intermediaries or middlemen, with  priority given to those located in the same municipality, to promote the local  economy and food systems. Family farmers and rural family entrepreneurs who  are registered in the National Family Farming Registry (CAF) can supply to the  PNAE. This registry gathers information about family agricultural production  units and their members, whether individual producers or organised in formal or  informal groups. The menus should take into account seasonality and local production.

The School Feeding Councils (CAE) are formal spaces for social participation in  the program, which must be created in all states and municipalities, linked to the  education departments. They are collegiate bodies with a supervisory,  permanent, decision-making, and advisory nature.

The responsibilities of the CAEs are:

• monitoring and overseeing the allocation of resources and the  implementation of the PNAE;
• analysing financial accountability;
• reporting any irregularities identified in the implementation of the PNAE  to the FNDE, the Courts of Accounts, the Federal Comptroller General,  the Public Prosecutor’s Office, and other control bodies;
• developing an annual Action Plan for monitoring the implementation of  the PNAE.

The CAEs must be composed of:

• a representative appointed by the Executive Branch;
• two representatives from education workers’ and students’ organisations;
• two representatives who are parents of students;
• two representatives appointed by organised civil society organisations.

The composition of the CAE can be expanded by two or three times the number  of members, respecting the proportionality defined above. Members have a  four-year term and may be re-elected. CAEs located in states and municipalities  with indigenous and quilombola schools must have at least one representative  from either these or other traditional communities in their composition.

To ensure its proper functioning, public authorities must provide: a) financial  and human resources and an appropriate location for meetings; b) computer  equipment; c) transportation for travel and monitoring; d) documents and  information related to the implementation of the PNAE when requested; e)  training for council members.

At a federal level, social participation of civil society occurs through the PNAE  Advisory Committee.

Despite the national guidelines, the implementation of the program varies  between states and municipalities, depending on the management capacity and  commitment of local authorities, the budget, the organisation of the School  Feeding Councils, and, primarily, the local specificities of each territory. For  example, purchases and menu definitions must follow national guidelines, but  there is flexibility for local adaptation, respecting regional eating habits and the availability of family farming products. At the same time, for municipalities with  lower revenue or less commitment from local authorities, FNDE resources are  the main source of funding for purchasing food for school meals, which results  in insufficient and/or low-quality meals.

The integration of the PNAE with other public policies – such as health, social  and rural development, social assistance, and the environment – is a  fundamental pillar of the program to promote the well-being of students and  ensure food and nutrition security for communities. This intersectorality is  reflected in the program’s design, which articulates actions linked to education,  health, agriculture, and the environment. Furthermore, the PNAE has two  institutional mechanisms that enable this integration: the Interministerial  Management Committee and the Advisory Committee. The Interministerial  Management Committee brings together representatives from various ministries  and government agencies, while the Advisory Committee is composed of representatives from civil society. Despite these advances, it is still necessary to  strengthen the coordination between public policies and expand the  intersectorality of the program.

The PNAE’s guidelines are aligned with the Brazilian Dietary Guidelines and  national strategies for Food and Nutrition Education (EAN). In this context, the  PNAE establishes which foods are allowed, limited and prohibited in school  meals, as explained in question 4. Additionally, EAN constitutes a strategic axis  of the program, contributing to the formation of more responsible and conscious  individuals about their food choices both at school and in their contexts.  Furthermore, beyond providing adequate and healthy meals, the program also  regulates the sale, offering, and advertising of foods in the school environment,  reducing the influence of the food industry on students.

However, the implementation of these guidelines is the responsibility of the states and municipalities and, ultimately, the schools, which have the autonomy to apply the national recommendations according to their local realities. In the case of school canteens, for example, there is still no specific national  legislation that regulates, the operation of canteens in public and private  schools. Therefore, the responsibility for this regulation falls on the states and  municipalities. Recently, the municipalities of Niterói and Rio de Janeiro passed laws to regulate school canteens in public and private early childhood and elementary schools, prohibiting the offering and sale of ultra-processed products.

Although the PNAE law encourages public procurement directly from family farmers, its implementation faces significant obstacles in the territories. The operationalisation of purchases requires an active commitment from local  municipalities and adequate structures to manage public procurement calls, support farmers, and ensure schools’ supplies. The lack of coordination between education and agriculture departments, rural unions, and CAEs hinders effective implementation.

Family farmers also face challenges, such as bureaucracy to obtain sanitary registration, lack of adequate technical assistance, insufficient school infrastructure for storage, and logistical difficulties, especially in rural areas. Additionally, delays in government payments and lack of specific credit in some  areas may discourage producer participation. Overcoming these challenges  through complementary public policies, such as credit and technical assistance, is essential to consolidating public purchases as a tool for promoting food security and strengthening family farming.

The management of the PNAE is shared between three governmental levels, the Union (federal government), the states, and the municipalities. The program is funded by public resources from the federal government, with a budget of R$  5.7 billion in 2024 (U$ 937,500,000.00)¹. The National Fund for the  Development of Education (FNDE) (institution responsible for the program and  linked to the Ministry of Education) transfers these resources supplementally to  states, municipalities, and federal schools, calculating the amounts based on the number of students and school days. However, federal transfers only cover the purchase of food, and states and municipalities need to complement the amount to ensure adequate meals, as well as cover operational and personnel expenses.

¹Commercial dollar exchange rate on 12/02/2024: R$ 6.08.

The amount transferred by the federal government to states and municipalities for each student, per school day, is as follows:

²Exchange rate of the dollar on 12/02/2024: R$ 6.08.

The Federal Constitution establishes the responsibility of all three levels of  government for the program. Therefore, this amount must be complemented by  state and municipality budgets. However, in reality, this is very unequal across  the country. Some states and municipalities complement their own public  budgets, while others limit their investments to logistics and human resources. In many municipalities, FNDE resources are the main source of financing for school meals, which can compromise the quality of meals, especially in areas with lower revenue or where the issue is of low political priority.

Another challenge is the absence of a permanent mechanism for the annual adjustments of federal transfers, making the program vulnerable to inflation and food price volatility. To address this issue, civil society, led by the School Meals  Observatory (ÓAÊ), has been engaging in awareness campaigns and advocacy with legislative power and decision-makers, proposing the creation of a legal automatic mechanism to ensure annual adjustments based on inflation.

School meals can be prepared in two types of kitchens

• A central kitchen: meals, except for some specific preparations, are  prepared in a single central kitchen that serves all students and are later  distributed either ready for consumption or for finalising at the schools.
• Decentralised kitchen (at the schools): all meals are prepared and  distributed at the school itself, where the food is already stored.

The model we advocate for is the decentralised kitchen model, where food is  prepared directly at the schools, ensuring public management, free from profit driven interests, and fresh, culturally appropriate meals. To achieve this, states  and municipalities must ensure adequate infrastructure, with equipped kitchens,  comfortable dining rooms, and safe storage spaces, as well as valuing and training the professionals responsible for meal planning and preparation. Cooks,  very often women, play an essential role that goes beyond food handling since  they get to know the students and have the potential to contribute to food and  nutritional education (EAN).

It is important to mention that the PNAE makes it compulsory for states and  municipalities to hire a licensed Nutritionist, who serves as a technical  supervisor for the program, performing various duties, including the diagnosis  and monitoring of the nutritional status of students; planning, developing, and  overseeing the menu; food and nutrition education actions (EAN), among  others. Similarly, cooks are also key actors in the success of the program and  are compensated for their work.