The study analyzes national strategies for dealing with obesity in Brazil in the framework of the Brazilian Unified National Health System (SUS) and the Food and Nutritional Security System (SISAN)

Objective: The present paper analyses the advances and challenges of the school feeding programme in Brazil (PNAE), as part of the Brazilian experience building up an integrated food and nutrition security national system. It explores the role of policy and regulatory frameworks in constructing quality service delivery and intersectoral integration. Design: Review of PNAE and federal government technical documents and studies, legislation, minutes of meetings and official documents of the National Council of Food and Nutrition Security from 2003 to 2011. Setting: Food insecurity has decreased significantly in Brazil in the last decade, indicating that appropriate choices were made in terms of public policies and institutional arrangements, which other countries can learn from. Subjects: Brazil food and nutrition security system; school feeding; school food. Results: Brazil's integrated food and nutrition security policy approach promoted intersectorality in the food system, articulating actions to guarantee access to healthy food and to strengthen family farming. The quality of school meals has progressively improved; in particular, the availability of fruits and vegetables increased. However, national standards regarding menu composition have not yet been met. Regulations were an important factor, along with the policy approach linking food production, nutrition, health and education. Challenges are related to conflict of interests and to farmers' insufficient capacity to meet supply requirements and comply with technical procedures. Conclusions: Local food production, school meals and nutrition education can be linked through integrated programmes and policies, improving access to healthier foods. Government leadership, strong legislation, civil society participation and intersectoral decision making are determinant. Keywords School feeding School nutrition Brazil Food and nutrition security PNAEThe Brazilian School Feeding Program (PNAE) started in 1954. It was seen for a long time as a targeted food aid programme designed to fight undernutrition and low levels of education. While over the years the programme maintained a focus on enhancing schoolchildren's diets, its specific objectives, institutional set-up and norms and regulations have evolved significantly over time.The current paper argues that the PNAE is exemplary, a model from which other countries might draw important lessons. Brazil's multisectoral food and nutrition security strategy, developed from 2003, prioritized the expansion of school feeding and brought significant changes in the programme's design and implementation. Its objectives today are to contribute to the bio-psychosocial development and educational achievement of students by meeting their nutritional needs while in the classroom, and by supporting the formation of healthy habits through food and nutrition education (1) . The programme also promotes local family farming.The Brazilian programme is also exemplary for its scope, reaching more than forty-five million students, w...

Construction of the food and nutrition security policy in Brazil: strategies and challenges in the promotion of intersectorality at the federal government levelA construção da política de segurança alimentar e nutricional no Brasil: estratégias e desafios para a promoção da intersetorialidade no âmbito federal de governo

This paper analyses the relationship between Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) programs and Food and Nutrition Security (FNS),

This paper explores the possibilities of the nutrition-sensitive agriculture approach in the context of the programs and actions towards promoting food and nutrition sovereignty and security in Brazil. To analyze the links between nutrition and agriculture, this paper presents the conceptual framework related to food and nutrition security, and stresses the correlations among concepts, institutional structures and program design in Brazil. Dominant models of food production and consumption are scrutinized in the light of these relationships. This paper also highlights differences amongst different ways to promote nutrition-sensitive agriculture through food-acquisition programs from family farmers, experiences in agro-ecology and bio-fortification programs. In the closing remarks, the paper draws some lessons learned from the Brazilian experience that highlight the advantages of family farming and rapid food production, distribution and consumption cycles in order to promote access to an affordable, diversified and more adequate diet in nutritional terms.