School meal purchases and their impacts on food systems

• Grant number: 24/05397-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: August 01, 2025
• End date: April 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Collective Health - Public Health
• Principal Investigator: Aline Martins de Carvalho
• Grantee: Beatrice Porta Guimarães
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Saúde Pública (FSP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Introduction: The amount of food procured through public purchases is vast in Brazil, especially concerning acquisitions made by the National School Feeding Program (PNAE), which provides meals for over 45 million public school students nationwide. The number of meals served is even greater when considering students who have more than one meal per day at school, such as those in full-time programs who must receive at least three meals daily. Food procurement follows certain guidelines to promote healthiness; however, there are no national estimates of which and how many kilograms of food are purchased through the PNAE, nor the environmental impact of producing these foods within food systems. Objectives: To map public purchases of meat made with PNAE funds and assess the associated environmental impact. Methodology: A retrospective longitudinal observational study will be conducted using data from invoices of meat purchases made through the PNAE in the years 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2022. The procured foods will be classified by type and supplier, and their per capita quantity will be estimated. The environmental impact will be assessed using the carbon footprint indicator for different types of meat. Based on these data, prospective scenarios of various public purchases will be developed to explore the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. (AU)