Last Thursday (27), the reality show Vida de Merendeira came to an end, challenging lunch ladies from all over the country in a culinary competition full of stages and challenges. The programme aimed to test the contestants’ knowledge of the guidelines of the National School Feeding Programme (PNAE, in Portuguese), as well as paying tribute to the professionals who are fundamental in the daily lives of schoolchildren.
After eight episodes, Josefa Graciene, from the state of Alagoas, in the north-eastern region, was the grand champion when she won the final challenge: to create a dish using various products from family farming, avoiding waste. “It was very rewarding to get to know each one (of the contestants), each story, always exchanging experiences,” said Josefa Graciene about her participation in the programme. As for her work at the school, Graciene added: “It’s a pleasure to be part of this mission, ensuring that the children are fed through the PNAE. Being a lunch lady goes beyond food, it’s about feeding the future of our country.”
Vida de Merendeira Podcast
As part of the initiative to recognise the importance of lunch ladies in promoting a balanced and healthy diet in the school environment, the podcast Vida de Merendeira (Life of a Lunch Lady), produced with the support of the National Fund for Education Development (FNDE, in Portuguese) and in collaboration with the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC, in Portuguese) and the WFP Centre of Excellence against Hunger Brazil, airs weekly. The podcast highlights the richness of our country’s cultural and regional diversity, emphasising the importance of intersectoral action in the field of school feeding.
The seventh and second-to-last episode, aired on Thursday (04), featured the Director of the Centre of Excellence, Daniel Balaban. On the subject of “Brazil as a global example in school feeding”, Daniel highlighted the scale of Brazil’s school feeding programme. “Brazil is one of the countries in the world with one of the largest and best school feeding programmes. More than 40 million students, from nursery school to the end of high school, have the right to receive a balanced meal, organised by nutritionists and bought from family farms, which makes Brazil one of the few countries in the world where the school feeding programme is a comprehensive programme,” he said.
All the episodes of the Reality Show Vida de Merendeira can be accessed on the Centre of Excellence’s YouTube channel. The podcast can be followed on BandNews TV’s Youtube and Spotify.