Acquisition of family farm foods in municipalities of Sao Paulo state: The influence of the management of the School Feeding Program and municipal characteristics

Abstract

Objective To describe and analyze the implementation aspects of the purchase of food from family farms, according to the management of the School Feeding Program and characteristics of municipalities in the state of Sao Paulo. Methods A cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study, including 25 municipalities from Sao Paulo that purchased from family farms for school feeding, where 105 schools were drawn, in 2013, to verify: knowledge of the Law No.11,947/2009, disclosure of the purchasing process, guidance on the management of food, kitchen improvements, variety of food purchased and the use ≥30% of the Program's resources with family farming. Absolute and relative frequencies were analyzed, and Chi-square test and Fisher's exact test were performed (p<0.05). Results The knowledge of Law No.11,947/2009 predominated in centralized management (p=0.010) and the disclosure of the purchasing process in school/mixed management (p=0.010); all municipalities of school/mixed management used ≥30% of resources (p=0.015). The disclosure of the purchasing process was more frequent in municipalities with fewer students (p=0.038) and lower Gross Domestic Product (p=0.020); guidance on food management was more frequent in smaller municipalities (p=0.011), with fewer public schools (p=0.040) and lower Gross Domestic Product (p=0.003); the variety of foods was more frequent in smaller municipalities (p=0.027), with fewer students (p=0.025), smaller area (p=0.025) and medium Human Development Index (p=0.001). Conclusion The management of the School Feeding Program and municipal factors can influence the implementation of the purchase of food from family farms.