[School meals: planning, production, distribution, and adequacy]

Area of Science:

• Nutrition Science
• Public Health
• Food Service Management

Background:

• School meal programs are vital for student nutrition.
• Assessing the quality and efficiency of these programs is essential for public health.
• Previous evaluations have highlighted challenges in food planning and distribution.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the planning, production, distribution, and nutritional adequacy of meals served in city schools.
• To identify areas for improvement in the school meal system.
• To provide data for enhancing food and nutrition education initiatives.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive cross-sectional study involving 42 extended shift city schools in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
• Analysis of 5 randomly selected meals per school using direct weighing.
• Evaluation of production indicators and nutritional adequacy against city and national program recommendations (PNAE).

Main Results:

• 79% of meals failed to meet city food security bureau recommendations.
• High rates of cooked but unserved food (7.06%) and counter leftovers (5.30%) were observed.
• Meals were nutritionally inadequate according to the Brazilian National Program of School Meals (PNAE), especially for adolescents aged 11-15.

Conclusions:

• Monitoring school meal planning, production, and distribution is critical.
• Food and nutrition education is essential for improving meal quality and reducing waste.
• Systemic improvements are needed to ensure adequate nutrition for students.