National School Feeding Program Research Articles

Benefits and Difficulties of Implementing Family-Farming Food Purchases in the Brazilian National School Feeding Program.

Objectives: To explore the opinions of Brazilian National School Feeding Program (NSFP) nutritionists concerning the benefits and difficulties of implementing family-farming food purchases for the school feeding program. Methods: Exploratory and descriptive qualitative study conducted through the analysis of inductive content of open interviews carried out with technically responsible nutritionists of the School Feeding Program of 21 municipalities in Southern Brazil. Results: The qualitative analysis of the interviews resulted in 17 codes grouped into four categories that show the opinion of nutritionists on the benefits and difficulties of purchasing family-farming food: 1. increasing the visibility of rural areas and 2. improving the quality of food provided in school meals; 3. low product availability and 4. limited infrastructure for production and delivery. Conclusion: According to nutritionists, purchasing family-farming food in NSFP can increase the supply of healthy food in schools and stimulate rural development. However, efforts are needed to adjust institutional food demands for local food production and improve infrastructure for food production and distribution.

Exploring food sovereignty among Amazonian peoples: Brazil's national school feeding programme in Oriximiná, Pará state

ABSTRACT We present an empirically-grounded exploration of food sovereignty among Brazilian Amazonian forest-proximate peoples, revealing five dimensions bound together by autonomy: family farming, women's work, agrobiodiversity, care for nature and a preference for own produced over industrial food. We examine the compatibility of this conceptualisation of Amazonian food sovereignty with Brazil’s National School Feeding Program (PNAE). We find that in supporting family farming and local food for children, the PNAE fosters food sovereignty, but inclusion remains uneven, shaped by unequal recognition and over-centralization. The PNAE could further the actualisation of Amazonian food sovereignty by more equal inclusion of different forest-proximate peoples.

Deserts, Swamps and Food Oases: Mapping around the Schools in Bahia, Brazil and Implications for Ensuring Food and Nutritional Security.

Deserts, swamps and food oases terms have been used to characterize the food environment according to the identified food availability. Food swamps are defined as neighborhoods with a predominance of food establishments selling ultra-processed foods compared to establishments selling healthy options. In contrast, food oases are areas with easy access to healthy and nutritious foods, such as fruits, vegetables, and other fresh foods. Food deserts describe densely populated urban areas where residents face difficulty obtaining healthy food. In this context, this work aimed to map deserts, swamps, and food oases around federal schools in Bahia, Brazil, emphasizing the importance of implementing the Brazilian National School Feeding Program (PNAE) in these schools, to guarantee food security and nutrition. An ecological study was carried out in all 35 federal schools in Bahia, Brazil, using an 800 m buffer analysis, with the school as the centroid. The geographic coordinates of schools and food establishments were initially obtained using Google Maps and later confirmed onsite. To evaluate food deserts and swamps, the methodology proposed by the CDC was used and the Modified Retail Food Environment Index (mRFEI) was calculated; when the result was equal to zero, the surrounding area was considered a food desert and values between 0.01 and 20 determined food swamps; for values above 20, the neighborhood was classified as mixed. Food oases were considered regions containing at least one supermarket within the analyzed buffer. Descriptive analyses were carried out with frequency measurements, measures of central tendency (mean and median) and dispersion (standard deviation). The food environment of schools was compared considering the number of students impacted, the area where the school was located (urban or rural) and the size of the municipalities. The average number of food establishments found was 22.39 (±13.03), with the highest averages for snack bars (7.33 ± 4.43), grocery stores (5.83 ± 4.09) and restaurants (2.94 ± 2.19). Food deserts and mixed environments were identified in 40% of the sample, while swamps represented 20% and oases 65%. An association was observed between food deserts and social vulnerability, making it necessary to emphasize the importance of adequate implementation of the PNAE in these schools to reduce food and nutritional insecurity, guaranteeing the human right to adequate and healthy food and providing better nutrition and health perspectives within the school environment and impact on students' lives through food and nutrition education actions, which are also part of the context of PNAE activities.

Challenges and Potentialities of Sustainability in the Institutional Food Market of Family Farming

Family farming is relevant for the generation of employment and income in the countryside. The objective of this study is to analyze the challenges and potentialities in the socioeconomic dynamics of agriculture through the institutional food market in the area of operation of a family farming cooperative. A qualitative case study was carried out in the north of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, through eighteen in-depth interviews. Data were analyzed using the content analysis method, considering five categories: economic, social, environmental, food security, and family succession. The results indicate that labor shortage and excessive bureaucracy are constant challenges. Furthermore, effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, lack of information, and lack of succession are among the main challenges of the institutional market from the perspective of the social agents participating in the research. On the other hand, the institutional commercialization channel, via the National School Feeding Program, is a consolidated public policy in the region, and one of the greatest benefits identified was the increase in the income of the cooperative members. Among the main potentialities of the institutional market from the agents’ point of view are income guarantee, institutional relations, support from cooperatives and technical assistance and rural extension, women’s involvement, and productive diversification. The results can support the implementation and strengthening of similar programs in other countries.

National School Feeding Program (PNAE): A Public Policy That Promotes a Learning Framework and a More Sustainable Food System in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

Food systems drive change, which can accelerate the process of ending hunger, improving diets and protecting the environment. This is the attribution given to the Brazilian National School Feeding Program (Programa Nacional de Alimentação Escolar-PNAE), which was created to supply 15% of the food needs of millions of children in Brazilian schools. Therefore, the purpose of this article was to create a framework to analyze learnings in the PNAE that contribute to the development of a sustainable food system in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. For this, a qualitative descriptive survey with abductive logic was chosen through a study of multiple cases and semistructured interviews as its strategy. It was noticed that individuals tended to group themselves in accordance with their learning level. A group in which instrumental learning was prevailing would tend to strictly follow the rules. Groups that already had communicative learning would be more proactive and look for improvements. However, when they would reach emancipatory learning, they would become more willing to disrupt initiatives to create new perspectives to solve problems. From that, decisions became political, and the more organized the groups became, the more power they had to allow their ideas to prevail.

Food quality perceptions and agreements: Case of local purchases from family farmers for school feeding program in the Federal District of Brazil

The perceptions of economic actors suggest different conventions of quality that influence the coordination of economic activities. Therefore, we analyzed how perceptions of quality, shared by different school feeding actors, shape or maintain economic coordination norms in the case of local purchases from family farmers for the National School Feeding Program (PNAE) in a large urban center in the Federal District (DF) of Brazil. Considering the theory of conventions and using the Iramuteq software, the contents of 35 interviews with public education actors, family farmers, and rural extension technicians were analyzed. The results revealed that local purchases in the DF promoted food democracy, reconciling several coordinating worlds that maintained and shaped the quality standards of the PNAE. Producers and consumers shared some common conventions; however, conflicts existed between industrial and domestic conventions in particular. It was concluded that besides enabling an inclusion of the local family agriculture in the market, this format provides superior food quality to students, contributing to shape the market with better food quality. Furthermore, this study advances the understanding of the perceptions of the actors in the different links of this chain and provides subsidies for the program to get closer to its goals of providing high food quality to students. In addition, the study aims to boost family farming and promote local development.

Family Farming Cooperatives and Associations and the Institutional Market Created by the National School Feeding Program (PNAE) in Minas Gerais, Brazil

The objective of this work is to analyze the trajectory and role assumed by the collective organizations of family agriculture, Cooperatives and Associations, in the construction and supply of food for the institutional market built from the National School Feeding Program (PNAE) in the five most important municipalities in the state of Minas Gerais/Brazil. This approach is justified by the need to remedy theoretical gaps in the insertion of cooperatives, which serve as instruments to guarantee food and nutrition security and also as a crucial actor in the construction of food markets. For this, it is necessary to investigate how these organizations were constituted, how they are organized, which actors are involved, and what their role is in the implementation of the public food purchase policy. Methodologically, it is a multiple case study, with a qualitative approach and descriptive character. For data collection, semi-structured interviews were applied in the five most populous municipalities in Minas Gerais, based on two scripts aimed at representatives of family farming organizations and members of the Public Administration who work directly with the management of the PNAE. The research results corroborate the recommendation that the Brazilian State should support the collective organization of farmers and strengthen the promotion of associativism and cooperativism in family farming, providing instruments for the development of social and economic organizations as well as expanding and strengthening government food purchase programs, since they help boost social capital in the countryside and generate income for family farmers.

An appraisal of the implementation of the national school feeding programme and its effect on enrolment and attendance in public primary schools in Southeast, Nigeria: perception of heads of schools

IntroductionThe National Home Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP) was re-launched in Nigeria in 2016, eleven years after it was first introduced in the country, with Enugu as one of the beneficiary States. The objectives of the programme are to improve the health of school children and aid in the realization of Universal Basic Education (UBE) goals. This study explored the opinions of heads of public primary schools on the implementation and policy benefits of NHGSFP in Enugu, southeast Nigeria.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional study conducted among 24 headmasters and headmistresses purposively selected from public primary schools in the Enugu metropolis. Qualitative data were collected through the use of a pretested Key Informant Interview (KII) guide, and analyzed using a thematic approach.ResultsAll the participants were aware of the NHGSFP, which involved the provision of one mid-day meal per child per school day to the pupils, and all their schools were part of the programme. Most of the participants complained about the nutritional quality and quantity of the school meals which they felt were poor. None of the schools had a kitchen within the school premises, and all the participants admitted that deworming was not regularly carried out, as part of the programme. Most of the participants believed that the objectives of the feeding programme, including, reduced hunger among learners, increased school enrolment, attendance and enhanced participatory learning, were being met.ConclusionAlthough the NHGSFP was implemented in every school in Enugu metropolis, Enugu State, Nigeria, regular deworming of pupils was not carried out, and there were concerns about certain aspects of the implementation, such as inadequate funding and poor quality of school meals. Thus, there is a need for the introduction of deworming and more allocation of funds to the programme to improve the quantity and nutritional quality of school meals.

Characterization and analysis of the supply network of the Brazilian national school feeding programme

IMPACT The Brazilian national school feeding programme (PNAE) is a tested model providing food security. The federal government designed it, but municipal and state governments deliver it. This article provides information on PNAE suppliers. It shows that it is possible to promote food security together with the local economy. However, a concern is that local managers sometimes find it easier to procure from just one or a few large, specialized companies. The authors explain how this problem can be dealt with.

English

The study was aimed at investigating practice relating to use of cooking salt in school meal preparation and quality control practices among Food Vendors (FVs) engaged in National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP) in public primary schools located in Oyo and Ogun States, Southwest Nigeria. An exploratory qualitative study was conducted among 40 selected FVs engaged in NHGSFP in the two States. Data were collected using a pretested Key Informant Interview guide. Interviews were subjected to thematic content analysis. Findings reveal that several FVs usually used packaged cooking salt, while some preferred unpackaged cooking salt sold in open plastic containers. The use of salt combined with other forms of food seasonings including bouillon cubes was a common practice among FVs. Practices they often employed to determine quantity of salt included ‘gradual adding of salt to taste’, use of bare-hands to add salt and ‘use of visual measure to gauge the added salt’. Some FVs usually salvaged meals containing excessive salt, especially rice by adding water and sieving it afterwards. An appropriate nutrition education intervention, which encourages use of packaged dietary salt by FVs as well as graduated measuring spoon to quantify the amount of salt added to school meals is suggested.   Key words: Food vendors; school meals; national home-grown school feeding programme; use of cooking salt control, use of condiments; Southwest Nigeria.&nbsp

Food Purchase from Family Farming in Public Institutions in the Northeast of Brazil: A Tool to Reach Sustainable Development Goals

The purchase of food from family farming in public institutions in Brazil was boosted by the implementation of the public call modality. The National School Feeding Program—PNAE— and the Food Acquisition Program—PAA— are world references in terms of purchasing food from family farming. However, hindrances are still observed regarding the participation of small farmers in public purchase of food, reducing their participation and scope of the food products available. Using a cross-sectional approach, this study analyzed food from family farming purchased by federal institutes of education located at the northeast region of Brazil to characterize the profile of family farmers participating on public calls, identify the food required and verify the processing level of food present into these documents. The data obtained indicate that family farmers supply mainly in natura or minimally processed foods, especially fruits. Meat and meat products were not present and processed foods, such as cheese, were not purchased extensively from family farmers by federal institutes, even when farmers were grouped into cooperatives and associations. Failure to comply with sanitary requirements required in the public call process was the main reason for the non-homologation of some food from family farming. The data found in this study show that despite the advances that allowed the purchase of food from family farming in public educational institutions, it is necessary to find ways to increase the diversity of food. Investing in improving structural conditions would be a way to increase the quality and diversity of food provided by family farming in public institutions, contributing to the environmental, social, and health dimensions of sustainability.

The PNAE (National School Feeding Program) activity system and its mediations

The National School Feeding Program (PNAE—Programa Nacional de Alimentação Escolar) is a Brazilian policy that attends to 44 billion students per year, distributed in 5,568 municipalities, providing school meals to public school students. Law No. 11,947 establishes a minimum percentage of 30% to purchase foodstuffs directly from family farming. In addition to the general rules, it is possible to create specific rules for the operationalization of the program; therefore, this paper aims to characterize the dynamic process of the relationships and actions of social agents involved through the Activity System generated by Law No. 11,947 of 2009 in the municipality of Porto Velho in the state of Rondônia, located in the western Amazon. As a theoretical framework, cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) and mediated action theory (MAT) were used. To achieve the objective, qualitative research and abductive reasoning were adopted, using a unique and incorporated case study as a strategy. In all, 49 interviews were conducted and analyzed using content analysis. The extent of the influenced community and the different realities to which the actors are exposed were verified.

ANÁLISE DA COMPRA DE ALIMENTOS DA AGRICULTURA FAMILIAR PELO PROGRAMA DE ALIMENTAÇÃO ESCOLAR

Introduction: The correct execution of the National School Feeding Program can constitute an opportunity for articulation between family farming and the agricultural, economic and social development of the region, in this sense the objective of this study is to analyze the execution of the PNAE regarding the purchase of food from family farming. Method: Cross-sectional study developed from secondary data in the public domain. Data were collected from 75 Brazilian municipalities spread across the five regions of the country regarding the management of the PNAE in 2019. To evaluate the purchase, the reference of a minimum of 30% of the resources transferred by the FNDE was used, as recommended in Law No. 11,947/2009. Results: 21% of the analyzed municipalities failed to reach the minimum of 30%, the South was more prominent in the scope of this legal device and the northeast region leads the inadequacies, the large municipalities were the ones that most distanced themselves from the analyzed normative apparatus, the unfeasibility of regular and constant supply of foodstuffs was the justification that stood out for the non-compliance of 30% and most municipalities made a public call. Final considerations: Although there is a list of challenges and obstacles for the management of the PNAE not to materialize the recommendations of the legislation, there is a scenario of positive and successful results both for family farming and for local rural development and for achieving the objectives from the program.

Foodstuffs specifications in the public call of the national school feeding program for the service of indigenous peoples and traditional communities in amazonas, Brazil

Foodstuffs specifications in the public call of the national school feeding program for the service of indigenous peoples and traditional communities in amazonas, Brazil

A qualitative exploration of knowledge, practices and training needs on the safe use of cooking salt among national home-grown school feeding programme food vendors in Southwest Nigeria

This study assessed the knowledge, practices and training needs on the safe use of cooking salt among food vendors engaged in the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP) in Southwest Nigeria in order to inform tailoring of appropriate capacity building interventions. An exploratory qualitative study was conducted among 40 purposively selected food vendors engaged in NHGSFP in Oyo and Ogun States. Data were collected using a pretested key informant interview guide which contained information on knowledge of cooking salt, practices usually employed to ensure that school meals contain moderate salt, sources of available information on the use of cooking salt, previous training on the use of cooking salt and dispositions to being trained on the use of cooking salt. Data were tape-recorded and subjected to thematic analysis. Participants mentioned various health problems of excessive salt intake including hypertension and heart diseases. Practices food vendors usually indulge in to ensure moderate use of cooking salt in school meals include ‘gradual adding of salt to taste’, ‘reliance on personal discretions and aroma of meals’. Pre-employment orientation programme organized by the NHGSFP officials constituted the major source of information on cooking salt use. Other pertinent sources of information included mass media and adverts. Some food vendors emphasized that they were not specifically taught on cooking salt use. Participants commonly expressed willingness to be trained on safe use of cooking salt and acknowledged that such training would help them. Knowledge and practices on issues relating to safe use of cooking salt for preparing meals remained inadequate among the food vendors. Implementing training on the use of cooking salt and other condiments in preparation of school meals was considered essential towards promoting safe salt intake and reducing risk of cardiovascular disease among school-age children. Training intervention for food vendors which adopts sustainable strategies is recommended to address the phenomenon.

Social control in the Brazilian school environment: strengthening is necessary

The School Food Council (CAE) is a deliberative, supervisory, and advisory body of the Brazilian National School Feeding Program (PNAE). This study was aimed at proposing a model to strengthen CAE performance. The research was carried out with CAE members of a municipality in the central region of Rio Grande do Sul State, south Brazil. The study consisted of the following phases: diagnosis to make a profile of the Council members; participation in the meetings and reading of the minutes; interventions (training, interview with school principals, elaboration of the assessment instrument, school visits, and development and validation of software); and evaluation of the interventions. Despite the low participation of the counsellors, strengthening of CAE in this municipality was achieved; all actions carried out along the work were useful to help and guide the members to have a good, correct and effective performance within the Council and during school visits and assessments. Based on the current study, further work addressing this issue in municipalities of different sizes is suggested so that more specific comparison and analysis of CAE performance in Brazil are possible.

School food in child daycare centers: Poor in macro and micronutrients

Background & AimsSchool food nutritional composition is important to guarantee the feeding and nutritional health of the children who attend early education institutions. In this way, we aimed to evaluate the school feeding, about the supply of energy and nutrients of school meals and verify compliance with the recommendations of the Brazilian National School Feeding Program (PNAE).MethodsCross-sectional study that evaluated the school food supply to children from six-to-56 months old in child daycare centers, from February to September 2014, for two non-consecutive days, by means of direct individualized weighing of all meals prepared by the schools. Energy, macronutrients, calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, vitamins A and C, and fiber were analyzed. Data were shown as median, interquartile range and compared to PNAE recommendation.ResultsWe found that 767 children participated in the study. In full-time care, only the supply of calcium and zinc to 6–11 months old met the minimal recommendations of PNAE, whilst for 1–3 years old children, only vitamin C and zinc reach that. In part-time care, none of the nutrients for children from 1-3 years met the minimum recommended by PNAE, whilst for children older than 3 years, only the supply of vitamin C met the recommendations.ConclusionThe current evaluation shows that the nutrient supply was insufficient to reach the desired PNAE's parameters in both, part- and full time. In order to promote an adequate nutritional status and healthy food consumption, the need for improvement of school nutrient supply is indisputable. Furthermore, this study points to the need for monitoring the quantity and quality of the food supplied by the school, to guarantee the food and nutritional safety of this population. School food nutritional composition is important to guarantee the feeding and nutritional health of the children who attend early education institutions. In this way, we aimed to evaluate the school feeding, about the supply of energy and nutrients of school meals and verify compliance with the recommendations of the Brazilian National School Feeding Program (PNAE). Cross-sectional study that evaluated the school food supply to children from six-to-56 months old in child daycare centers, from February to September 2014, for two non-consecutive days, by means of direct individualized weighing of all meals prepared by the schools. Energy, macronutrients, calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, vitamins A and C, and fiber were analyzed. Data were shown as median, interquartile range and compared to PNAE recommendation. We found that 767 children participated in the study. In full-time care, only the supply of calcium and zinc to 6–11 months old met the minimal recommendations of PNAE, whilst for 1–3 years old children, only vitamin C and zinc reach that. In part-time care, none of the nutrients for children from 1-3 years met the minimum recommended by PNAE, whilst for children older than 3 years, only the supply of vitamin C met the recommendations. The current evaluation shows that the nutrient supply was insufficient to reach the desired PNAE's parameters in both, part- and full time. In order to promote an adequate nutritional status and healthy food consumption, the need for improvement of school nutrient supply is indisputable. Furthermore, this study points to the need for monitoring the quantity and quality of the food supplied by the school, to guarantee the food and nutritional safety of this population.

An Environmental and Nutritional Evaluation of School Food Menus in Bahia, Brazil That Contribute to Local Public Policy to Promote Sustainability.

Aimed at improving the quality of school meals, the Sustainable School Program (SSP) implemented low-carbon meals, twice a week, in 155 schools of 4 municipalities, reaching more than 32,000 students. This study evaluated the environmental impact and nutritional viability of this intervention for this population. The 15 most repeated meals from the conventional and sustainable menus were selected, and we considered the school age group and number of meals served per student/day. Nutritional information was calculated using validated food composition tables, nutritional adequacy was assessed using National School Feeding Program (PNAE) requirements, the level of processing was considered using NOVA classification, and greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) were estimated using food life cycle assessment (LCA) validated data. We found both conventional and sustainable food menus are equivalent, in terms of nutrients, except for calcium, iron, and magnesium. Sustainable food menus were cholesterol-free. However, there was a reduction of up to 17% in GHGE, depending on the school age group analysed. Considering the greater energy efficiency and lower environmental impact of these food menus, the SSP, therefore, demonstrates that a substantial reduction in climate impact is feasible, successful, and can be an inspiration to other regions globally.

PNAE (National School Feeding Program) and Its Events of Expansive Learnings at Municipal Level

The National School Feeding Program (PNAE for its acronym in Portuguese) is one of the largest food policies in the world, partially covering the daily needs of 44 billion students per year. In 2009, Law No. 11,947 established that at least 30% of the total financial transfer of PNAE was used in the purchase of foodstuff directly from family farming in the left-wing government of Lula. In practice, the rules allow public policy managers to choose between bidding or public call, provision by large agribusiness companies or by family farmers, and this is practiced in idiosyncratic ways by 5568 Brazilian municipalities. Each municipality organizes its own system. Therefore, the aim of this article is to analyze how the evolution of Law No. 11,947 promotes expansive learning in the Brazilian National School Feeding Program (NSFP-PNAE), located in the Western Amazon. As a theoretical framework, the Cultural–Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) and the Theory of Expansive Learning (TEL) were used. Qualitative research in an abductive reasoning was carried out, using a single and incorporated case study as its strategy. The study included 21 interviews, later analyzed by Content Analysis. The main contribution is the advance in solutions for societal needs, in terms of continuous collective collaboration, creating expansive learning, transformative or not, in both sides of productive systems and consumption, integrating family farmers and students by a healthy nutrition and feeding in the same system since 2009.

Nutritional content of food served to pupils in National School Feeding Programme (NSFP) in Kaura Local Government, Kaduna State Nigeria

Nutritious food maintains good health, cognitive development, and academic performance in children, necessitating Nigeria's National School Food Programme (NSFP). Despite the economic growth observed in developing countries, malnutrition and particularly under nutrition is still highly prevalent. Therefore, assessing the food quality of the NSFP in terms of the nutritional content of food is essential at ensuring that the objective of improving access to education of the programme is achieved. This study assessed the nutritional content of food (proximate analysis) of food distributed to pupils by the NSFP in Bauchi local government, Bauchi state Nigeria. The study was a descriptive cross-sectional study and a simple random technique was used involving 17 schools and 5 different meals were sampled. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as frequency tables and percentages. The result revealed that beans were mostly consumed. 0.04%-0.3%, 71.66%-75.56%, 0.02%. -0.6%, 6.2%-10.1%, and 15.7%-19.2 % in carbohydrate, protein, lipid, ash and moisture respectively while the nutritional content of white rice ranged from 73.6%-78.22%, 0.02%-0.7%, 0.2%. -0.7% ,7.2%-9.1% and 13.7%-17.5% in carbohydrate, protein, lipid, ash and moisture respectively. Also, the nutritional content of yam and stew served ranged from 70.71%-75.14%, 0.02%-0.4%, 0.12%.-0.56%, 7.7%-10.2% and 14.6%-18.9 % in carbohydrate, protein, lipid, ash and moisture respectively while the nutritional content of jollof rice ranged from 72.24%-74.13%, 0.05%-0.06%, 0.2%.-0.56% ,8.0%-9.3% and 16.2%-19.5% in carbohydrate, protein, lipid, ash and moisture respectively and nutritional content of yam and oil ranged from 71.0%-85.3%, 0.02%-0.8%, 0.03%.-1.2% ,1.63%-11.0% and 9.0%-17.0% in carbohydrate, protein, lipid, ash and moisture respectively. Most of the meals are high in carbohydrates and moisture with low protein. On the contrary, the quality, quantity and low in protein diets are of great health concern if the consumption of the foods were not complemented.