OBJECTIVE: To analyze how the profile of food purchases from family farming under the National School Feeding Program (PNAE) is related to socioeconomic and demographic indicators in Brazilian capitals. METHODS: This cross-sectional and descriptive study was based on secondary data from 2016 and 2017 from the Brazilian government. We used demographic and socioeconomic data, as well as the amount of federal funding; the percentage used purchases of food from family farming and the public call notices. RESULTS: The capitals in the largest quartile of HDI and funding by the federal government used less than 30% of the resource for the purchase of crops from family farming in 2016. All capitals of the Northern region used more than 30%, while the Southern and Southeastern regions did not comply with the legislation. We highlight that most analyzed food items were in natura. CONCLUSIONS: The implementation of this public policy occurs unequally in Brazilian capitals, with greater difficulty in those supposedly with better institutional structure and higher volume of resources destined to the National School Feeding Program. The program, however, maintains its potential for the promotion of adequate and healthy food in schools, due to the quality of food included in public calls.

O objetivo do estudo foi analisar o perfil de compras da agricultura familiar para o Programa Nacional de Alimentação Escolar em municípios do estado do Rio de Janeiro. Buscou-se compreender as características sociodemográficas dos municípios segundo o percentual de utilização do recurso repassado pelo governo federal para a compra da agricultura familiar, bem como classificar os alimentos solicitados nas chamadas públicas de 2018 conforme a extensão e propósito do processamento. Os municípios que não conseguem cumprir a legislação são aqueles que recebem mais recursos e situados em regiões urbanas. Os gêneros alimentícios mais solicitados nas chamadas públicas são in natura e/ou minimamente processados.