Educating to eat and eating to educate: the process of articulating and understanding the practice of intersectorality between education and food and nutritional security policies

Abstract

Food and education policies are strategic agendas for analyzing processes of democratic coordination and intersectorality, as they require integrated and regionalized approaches. The National School Feeding Program (PNAE – acronym in Portuguese) is characterized as the longest-running public policy in Brazil in the area of food and nutrition security (FNS), and the practice of intersectorality has become an essential element in implementing its guidelines. The objective of this study was to observe and understand how participatory political processes and coordination between sectors can play a role in improving public action to transform food systems. The methodology was based on a documentary analysis of materials related to the process of developing Plano Estadual de Segurança Alimentar e Nutricional do Estado de São Paulo (PLANSAN/SP), allowing for the reconstruction of the political process and the identification of intersectoral practices. The results highlight the importance of social participation and intersectorality in the formulation of public policies, with an emphasis on the integration between education and FNS. By observing the elements of intersection, the research revealed that food and nutrition education and the school food environment are key elements for promoting healthy and sustainable food systems. It is concluded that intersectoral practice is essential to overcome complex challenges and to ensure the effectiveness of FNS policies.