Brazil limits ultra-processed foods in school meals to 15%
By 2025, the Brazilian government will lower the limit of processed and ultra-processed foods in public school menus from 20 percent to 15 percent through the National School Feeding Program (PNAE). The initiative aims to provide healthier meals for students, prioritizing nutritious foods, local production, and greater food diversity across the country.
This decision is outlined in a new resolution from the National Education Development Fund (FNDE), an agency linked to the Ministry of Education. By 2026, the limit on ultra-processed foods in school meals will be further reduced to 10 percent.
The program benefits 40 million children and young people across 150,000 schools in all 5,570 municipalities of Brazil. It provides 50 million meals daily, totaling around 10 billion meals per year, at an annual cost of approximately BRL 5.5 billion.
The announcement was made on Tuesday (Feb. 4) during the 6th edition of the PNAE National Meeting in Brasília, attended by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Minister of Education Camilo Santana, and other authorities, as well as school cooks, nutritionists, and members of the school community, including teachers, administrators, and students from across the country. This event had not been held in 15 years.
"Our historical debt to education is almost impossible to repay in a century. Until the early 20th century, no one cared whether children went to school. In fact, attending school wasn't mandatory. Girls were kept out of school to prevent them from learning to write letters to their boyfriends. Boys, on the other hand, didn't have to go to school because they were expected to work—cut sugarcane, or do anything else," said Lula.
"And that justifies our investment in school meals, because no one can study on an empty stomach. A child who leaves home without breakfast, or hasn’t had a proper dinner with the necessary calories and protein, how can they learn at school? Those who have never been hungry don’t understand how much hunger can limit learning. It’s hard. As [the Brazilian educator and philosopher] Paulo Freire said, 'When you eat, you become intelligent,'" the president added.
Food quality
"We are aware of the impact these [ultra-processed] foods have on children's diets, particularly the issue of obesity. Therefore, the PNAE will ensure the quality of the food provided," said Education Minister Camilo Santana in a speech announcing the measure.
The minister also announced that the program will prioritize purchases from family farms, with an emphasis on women farmers. The law mandates that 30 percent of the food purchased must come from family farming. “The PNAE is already a powerful driver, and this new guideline further amplifies its impact, ensuring that women farmers play a central role in feeding our school children,” added Lula.
"We spend a lot of time at school, and the snacks the lunch ladies prepare help us concentrate—whether it's time for an activity, when the teacher is explaining something, or when we need to focus," said 13-year-old Miguel Moura, an 8th grader at Centro de Ensino Fundamental 3 (CEF3) in Sobradinho, Federal District.
"Industrialized cookies have been replaced by traditional Brazilian dishes like canjica and couscous, a greater variety of fruits, fresh beans, and other nutritious foods," explains Jaqueline de Souza, a nutritionist involved in the program. "School meals in Brazil have greatly improved," she said in an institutional video released by the Ministry of Education.
"Often, school meals are the only nutritious meal a student has that day," said Fernanda Pacobahyba, president of the FNDE.
According to the Ministry of Health's 2023 Food and Nutrition Surveillance System, one in seven Brazilian children is overweight or obese, representing 14.2 percent of children under five. This rate is more than double the global average of 5.6 percent. Among adolescents, the prevalence is even higher, affecting 33 percent of the population.
Increase in transfers
In 2023, after taking office, the Lula government approved a 39 percent increase in the funding for school meals for elementary and secondary schools, benefiting over 70 percent of the students served.
