Feasibility in meeting nutrient amounts of the National School Feeding Program and its relationship with the menu cost.

Eliseu Verly-Junior,Rafael Lavourinha Pinto,Dayan Carvalho Ramos Salles de Oliveira,Emanuele Souza Marques,Flávia Mori Sarti,Diana Barbosa Cunha

doi:10.1590/1413-81232021262.01012019

Eliseu Verly-Junior, Rafael Lavourinha Pinto + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/1413-81232021262.01012019

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Abstract

We evaluated the feasibility of the menu adequacy regarding the nutritional constraints established by the National School Feeding Program (PNAE) and its relation to the cost. Each menu accounted for a given food combination within each food group. A diet optimization model comprising each set of foods was designed to obtain food quantities in order to meet the exigences of the PNAE at the lowest cost (menus with 20% and 30% of dietary reference intake for energy, macronutrients, calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, vitamins A and C, also restrictions for sodium, saturated and trans fats, and added sugar). There was no feasible solution that accommodated all nutrient targets. Limiting components were calcium, sodium, and carbohydrates; but the menus were adequate for the other nutrients. There was a positive correlation between the menu cost and the frequency of meat and fruits, and a negative correlation with the contents of sodium and carbohydrates, and with the frequencies of rice and beans. The probability of obtaining carbohydrate adequacy was close to zero when the meat frequency was higher than one serving per week. In conclusion, it is unlikely to obtain menus that meet all the requirements of the PNAE.

Highlights

MethodsThe National School Feeding Program (PNAE) has the aim of ensuring adequate nutrition for students enrolled in public schools nationwide
Among the rules for implementing the program, of particular note are the following facts: menus have to (i) be planned in accordance with minimum nutritional requirements, that vary from 20% to 70% of the recommended daily intake (RDI), according to school category; (ii) meet energy, carbohydrate, protein, lipids, fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, iron, magnesium, and zinc recommendations; and (iii) provide at least three servings of fruits and vegetables and no more than two servings of dessert per week
This study demonstrates that it is unlikely that a combination of foods meeting all PNAE requirements can be created in a menu

Summary

Methods

The National School Feeding Program (PNAE) has the aim of ensuring adequate nutrition for students enrolled in public schools nationwide. G is the number of foods, Qotm i is the quantity of the food i in the optimized menu, i is the price per kg, and nutonpt is the closest amount of the nutrient n from the target This objective function minimized menu costs as well as positive and negative deviances. As the menus could comprise a wide variety of foods within each group, the number of foods selected for each group varied according to the constraints: milk and dairy products (0 to 5 times/week); cake, cookies and breads (0 to 5); fruits; vegetables (0 to 10 times/week); rice and beans (0 to 4 times/week); pasta (0 to 2 times/ week); desserts (0 to 3 times/week); and juices (0 to 3 times/week).

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