Food and Nutrition Education in Brazilian Schools
The WFP Centre of Excellence against Hunger – Brazil issued a new policy brief on how the Brazilian school feeding programme has integrated food and nutrition education into the school environment. The document provides an overview of food and nutrition education in Brazil and explores the two-pronged strategy to include food and nutrition education in the school curriculum and the policy base to devise this strategy.
The WFP Centre of Excellence against Hunger – Brazil issued a new policy brief on how the Brazilian school feeding programme has integrated food and nutrition education into the school environment. The document provides an overview of food and nutrition education in Brazil and explores the two-pronged strategy to include food and nutrition education in the school curriculum and the policy base to devise this strategy.
Food and nutrition education in Brazilian public schools is part of the National School Feeding Programme (PNAE). The programme aims to contribute to students’ development, learning, and performance, and promoting healthy eating habits is part of it. Food and nutrition education is part of the Brazilian basic curriculum that defines the common and progressive set of essential knowledge and skills that all students must develop throughout their school years. It is also part of their daily experience with food, thanks to the engagement of nutritionists in the design of school meals’ menus, and their close collaboration with school cooks.
PNAE also fosters the involvement of the broader school community – which includes teachers, technical staff and students – in nutrition education and awareness-raising efforts. Primary students are the programme’s target, since que Brazilian government considers this stage a priority for the development of healthy eating habits.
When students are studying biology, geography, and chemistry, they are also learning about food security and nutrition. The textbooks used in schools reflect the crosscutting aspect of food and nutrition education.
To achieve this level of intersectoral engagement, Brazilian public managers built a sound policy base that is described in the policy brief. The document also shows how the implementation of this strategy can increase PNAE’s impact on eating habits among students, families and the school community, going beyond the sole provision of food.
Click here to download the publication
