Desafios para assegurar a qualidade alimentar das instituições de ensino públicas brasileiras: uma revisão integrativa.

Abstract

Good nutrition in public schools plays a crucial role in children's development and well-being. In addition to providing essential nutrients, it contributes to academic performance and reduces the risk of diet-related diseases. On the other hand, public schools face various barriers to providing quality meals to students. This study is a literature review that aims to enhance understanding of the barriers affecting the quality of school meals in Brazilian public schools. The research was conducted by selecting articles and dissertations from key academic platforms such as Capes, Scielo, Google Scholar, Virtual Health Library (BVS), and PubMed. The review's findings highlighted the influence of limited budgets on the quality of school meals, difficulties in implementing family farming in the National School Feeding Program (PNAE), lack of training for school kitchen staff, and inadequate infrastructure in food service units. The identified barriers directly impact the quality of school meals in Brazilian public schools. Measures such as efficient resource management, streamlining bureaucratic procedures, technical support, and training for kitchen staff are essential to overcome these barriers and ensure healthy and adequate meals for students, promoting their holistic development. It is crucial to make investments and efforts to overcome these barriers, ensuring that schools can provide nutritious meals and contribute to students' health and well-being.