Research by Ipea indicates an estimated increase of 2.85 points in Portuguese and 2.91 points in mathematics in 2013, and 2.57 and 3.34 points, respectively, in 2019.
Brasilia, Brazil, September 29, 2025 – Investment in healthy school meals, sourced from family farming, is associated with the quality of learning among Brazilian children, especially those in the public school system. This is what the results of the discussion paper “Effects of the Inclusion of Family Farming Products in School Meals on the Performance of Public School Students in Brazil,” published by the Institute for Applied Economic Research (Ipea), indicate. The study is available in Portuguese.
The study shows a positive and significant relationship between compliance with Law No. 11,947/2009, which encourages the purchase of food from family farming for the National School Feeding Program (PNAE), and student performance in Portuguese and mathematics, based on the analysis of national exam scores from the Basic Education Assessment System (Saeb) in 2013 and 2019. In this context, schools that purchase more food from family farming tend to achieve higher scores in these subjects. The results indicate an estimated increase of 2.85 points in Portuguese and 2.91 points in mathematics in 2013, and 2.57 and 3.34 points, respectively, in 2019.
The findings suggest that offering healthier and more nutritious food, sourced from family farming, can contribute to better cognitive development, greater classroom concentration, and consequently, improved assessment outcomes. According to Sandro Pereira, planning and research analyst at Ipea and one of the study’s authors, “the availability of healthier meals is related to greater student engagement, a more favorable learning environment, and a lower incidence of illnesses or nutritional disorders that compromise student performance or retention in schools,” he said.
The study also analyzed the variables that impact student performance in the final years of elementary education. For Portuguese, the most significant variables were the percentage of teachers with higher education degrees in the final years (8.8%) and early years (6.6%), followed by the percentage of PNAE purchases (6.1%). Regarding performance in mathematics, the most relevant variables were the percentage of teachers with higher education degrees in the final years (11.53%), the percentage of PNAE purchases (10.20%), and the percentage of teachers with higher education in the early years (7.61%).
Therefore, the school performance of students enrolled in Brazil’s public school system is influenced by multiple factors, including the physical infrastructure of schools, teacher qualifications, and the provision of complementary services that support the system’s functioning and maintain student engagement throughout the academic year. Among these services, PNAE is certainly one of the most important, and the evidence presented in the study indicates that recent legal changes have strengthened its potential to contribute to Brazilian public education.
Program
The National School Feeding Program (PNAE), managed by the Ministry of Education through the National Fund for Educational Development (FNDE), is Brazil’s main food program and one of the largest in the world, serving more than 40 million students in public basic education daily during the school year. The program aims to meet part of students’ nutritional needs, promoting health and healthy eating habits, which contribute to a better learning environment.
Since the 1990s, PNAE has been decentralized, with the federal government transferring financial resources to states and municipalities, which handle food purchases. Starting in 2009, Law No. 11,947 required that at least 30% of PNAE resources be used to purchase products from family farming, preferably local. This change increased the program’s operational complexity but also valued local production, generating income and promoting a healthier and more culturally appropriate food supply chain.