Food availability and food and nutrition (in)security of families providing for the National School Feeding Program

• Main Author: de Matos Calixto, Fabiana Aparecida
• Publication Date: 2022
• Other Authors: Torres Trivellato, Paula, da Silva Miguel, Elizagela, Eloiza Priori, Silvia
• Format: Article
• Language: eng
• Source: Revista de Nutrição
• Download full: https://periodicos.puc-campinas.edu.br/nutricao/article/view/5770
• topic: Food and nutritional security; Rural Areas; School feeding

Objective The objective of the study was to evaluate the availability of food and the situation of food and nutritional (in)security in families of farmers who provide for the National School Feeding Program.MethodsThis is a cross-sectional study with families of farmers who supplied Programa Nacional de Alimentação Escolar from 2011 to 2016 in the city of Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil. To assess Food Insecurity, the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale was applied to the person responsible for purchasing and producing meals in the family. The nutritional aspect was analyzed through the measurement of hemoglobin to check for anemia among family members and using the household food availability survey, where it was possible to analyze the amount of calories available for consumption, as well as the origin and kind of food. Results27 families were evaluated, totalizing 91 individuals. With the Escala Brasileira de Insegurança Alimentar, it was found that 25.9% of the families were in light food insecurty situation. When caloric availability was assessed, 11.0% of families were considered insecure. In contrast, 59.0% of families had high calorie availability per capita (>3000 calories). Of the total households, 14.8% had more than 50.0% of the calories available for consumption coming from their own production. The foods most commonly produced for self-consumption were fresh vegetables, which are the most common ones supplied to Programa Nacional de Alimentação. In addition, the main source of kilocalories for the families were fresh and minimally processed foods. The presence of anemia in at least 1 resident was detected in 29.6% of households, with a negative correlation between the hemoglobin value (g/dL) and the Escala Brasileira de Insegurança Alimentar score.ConclusionIt appears that the majority of the families of farmers supplying Programa Nacional de Alimentação Escolar are in a situation of Food and Nutritional Security, both by Escala Brasileira de Insegurança Alimentar and by the household availability of food. However, we cannot ignore the percentage of insecure families, since this situation can lead to other problems. Therefore, it is necessary to constantly assess the family situation of Fodd Insecurty and encourage production for self-consumption so that it contributes to food availability and quality. For this reason, the we highlight relevance of programs that strengthen the production and commercialization of food from family farming.