Familiar Agriculture Institutional Purchasing Programs: A Study Focused on Criciuma County, Brazil

Abstracts: throughout Brazil, the Familiar Agriculture Institutional Purchasing Programs for foods have brought a re-insertion in the market for the farmers and their families and the National Food for the Schools Program (PNAE) is its most significant example. It is, by far, the longest non-stop public policy in the country in this regard (since 1955); even though in 2009 new targets have been introduced, with a mandatory minimum purchase of 30% from the Familiar Agriculture (AF). The main objective of this study is to evaluate the challenges of implementing the PNAE, right after the changes occurred in 2009, over at Criciuma County, in Santa Catarina State, Brazil, starting in 2010 until 2015. From the Federal resources sent, 33% have been used to buy foods from the AF Program, though. As for the meals served in schools (menus), the majority is just inappropriate, with a high level of refined sugar been added, up to a level of 67% overall. It has been noted some factors that make things difficult for the Cooperatives to join the PNAE, even though the granted selling system has shown a fundamental element for granting a continuous income to the farmers. In the Criciuma County, the PNAE needs a bigger commitment from the public sector and a better interaction among the other involved parties, in order to contribute to the strength of the Food and Nutritional Safety Program (SAN).

Key words: familiar agriculture; institutional purchases; school food programs; school menus; food; nutritional safety program