Today is chicken day: the role of school cooks in promoting Human Rights to Adequate Food

Abstract

This article presents a reading in the school cooks as promoters of the Human Right to Adequate Food (HRAF), included in the public policy of Food and Nutrition Security (SAN), of great extent in Brazil, as part of the National Program of School Eating (PNAE). The Program´s guidelines include the Food and Nutrition Education (EAN), intended to be part of the teaching and learning process, permeating the school curriculum and helping develop healthy life practices. The objective is to verify the potentials of school cooks as promoters of EAN and DHAA, stemming from their narratives. The narrative interview was used as a methodological approach, for which seven school cooks were selected who work in public schools benefiting from PNAE, in the Federal District. The biographical narrative allowed us to understand the experiences and perceptions of the school cooks about their place within the school and PNAE. The conclusion is that school cooks are virtual protagonists in promoting both adequate and healthy food and EAN. Our reflection shows gaps and obstacles experienced by these agents toward their real leadership. As alternative paths, creating spaces within PNAE is suggested to ensure discourses that are not only hegemonic but also those that historically were not granted the same right of expression and that help recognize and value the roles of school cooks, contributing to improve both PNAE and school, strengthening SAN and enhancing access to DHAA.