Lacunas de conhecimento sobre o Programa Nacional de Alimentação Escolar, segurança alimentar e nutricional e direito humano à alimentação adequada: percepção dos atores sociais

Abstract

The National School Feeding Program (NSFP) is the oldest public food and nutrition policy in Brazil and one of the most important programs in the world. In addition, it is an important strategy for promoting healthy eating. However, greater attention is needed to its implementation in order to guarantee school meals in line with the principles that promote Food and Nutrition Security (FNS) and the Human Right to Adequate Food (HRAF). Despite all the recognition of the program and its advances, there are still gaps to be filled in relation to these issues. The objective is to carry out a situational diagnosis of knowledge about Food and Nutrition Security, the Human Right to Adequate Food and the National School Feeding Program from the perspective of the program's social actors. This is an observational study with a cross-sectional design and a qualitative and quantitative approach. The study was carried out with nutritionists, counselors and managers involved in the NSFP from different regions of Brazil in 2023, based on an online semi-structured questionnaire that addressed sociodemographic aspects and knowledge demands related to Food and Nutrition Security, the Human Right to Adequate Food and the National School Feeding Program, by those involved in the NSFP in their work. The Content Analysis technique was applied and triangulation of methods was used to cross-reference qualitative and quantitative data. The characterization data were analyzed based on descriptive analyses of absolute and relative frequencies. It was found that nutritionists mentioned more training demands regarding aspects of menu planning and Food and Nutrition Education actions, while counselors and managers pointed out the need for improvement in the themes of SAN, DHAA and the NSFP legislation. Regarding knowledge of the objectives of the NSFP, responses were found to be at odds with what is set out in the legislation. Regarding foods prohibited for children under three years of age, it was observed that nutritionists have knowledge of this aspect, while counselors have only partial knowledge. Another point that drew attention was related to knowledge about who can consume school meals, noting that most counselors also believe that “teachers and school staff” have the right to school meals. It was also found that, although most nutrition professionals reported having full knowledge of Law No. 11,947 and FNDE Resolution No. 6 of 2020, this expected level of knowledge was not observed in this study. Furthermore, it is important to emphasize that the fact that counselors do not fully master the knowledge about the NSFP legislation compromises the effectiveness in performing the oversight function of the Council itself. This study also highlighted limited knowledge about the definitions of SAN and DHAA. Furthermore, it was possible to observe that the interviewees' perception about their role in the NSFP and in the implementation of the DHAA does not match what is expected for a good performance and execution of their duties, highlighting the need for training actions. Therefore, to reduce these challenges, it is crucial to invest in continuous training for nutritionists and other professionals involved in the NSFP, but also to adapt assignments, workload, and number of human resources so that it is possible for these actors to invest time in their training and updating. I conclude that it was possible to answer the initial research question, confirming that the main knowledge gaps of nutritionists, counselors and managers are legislation, aspects related to the execution of public calls and menu preparation, in addition to a not very comprehensive view of SAN and DHAA.