Retóricas conservadoras contrárias à regulação do ambiente alimentar escolar: a discussão do Projeto de Lei nº 4.198/2021 na Assembleia Legislativa do Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

Abstract Considering the scientific evidence regarding the harmful effects on health from consuming ultra-processed foods, the regulation on food environments has been prioritized as a way of promoting adequate and healthy eating. In this context, Bill 4198/2021 was proposed in the Legislative assembly of Rio de Janeiro, to ban the sale of ultra-processed foods in the schools in the state. In the second voting session of the proposition conservative rhetoric was widely used by the opposing congressmen. In this essay, these positions were classified, finding common points between them, considering the analysis of the legislative process. In making this categorization, it was possible to identify three argumentative bases that were explored: the defense of freedom of trade; the right to a “family autonomy,” the primacy of the family in children’s education; and individual responsibility for obesity. These rhetorics have been analyzed together with their counterpoint, in the conclusions of the specialized literature. Beyond the plurality of ideas in the legislative debate, it was possible to identify how the discussion of Bill 4198/21 was permeated by the reproduction of disinformation and violence. In this way, the scrutiny of the conservative rhetoric used and the understanding of the context of this discussion are contributions proposed here to consolidate the repertoire of defense of the health of children and adolescents.