[School meals: planning, production, distribution, and adequacy].
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the planning, production, distribution, and nutritional adequacy of meals served at city schools.


METHODS
This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted between March 2011 and April 2012 and included a representative sample (n = 42 schools) of extended shift city schools from Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Five meals from each school were randomly selected and analyzed by direct weighing. Production indicators and nutritional adequacy were evaluated in contrast to the recommendations of the city food security bureau and the Brazilian National Program of School Meals (PNAE).


RESULTS
Seventy-nine percent of the analyzed meals did not meet the recommendations of the city food security bureau. The rate of waste (food left on plates) was acceptable at 4,90%, but the rates of cooked and not served food (7,06%) and counter leftovers (5,30%) were high. Both the city planned meals and the meals served in the schools were nutritionally inadequate in terms of the PNAE, particularly for children aged 11-15 years. There was a relationship between consumption by school staff and the amount of food that was cooked (r = 0.353; P < 0.001) and the rate of cooked and not served food (r = 0.138; P = 0.045). Waste was positively correlated with the rate of counter leftovers (r = 0.145; P = 0.035), and inversely correlated with fiber intake (r = -0.143; P = 0.038).


CONCLUSIONS
The results indicate the importance of monitoring the planning, production, and distribution of school meals and of food and nutrition education in order to improve the quality of food and to reduce waste in schools.
Departamento de Nutrição, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil, simoneclpereira@gmail.com.
Raquel Carvalho
RC
Issa
Departamento de Nutrição, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil, simoneclpereira@gmail.com.
Letícia Freitas
LF
Moraes
Departamento de Nutrição, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil, simoneclpereira@gmail.com.
Raquel Rocha Jabour
RR
Francisco
Departamento de Nutrição, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil, simoneclpereira@gmail.com.
Luana Caroline
LC
dos Santos
Secretaria Municipal Adjunta de Segurança Alimentar e Nutricional, Prefeitura Municipal de Belo Horizonte, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil.
Adriana Fernandez Versiani
AF
dos Anjos
Departamento de Nutrição, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil, simoneclpereira@gmail.com.
Simone Cardoso Lisboa
SC
Pereira
D000293:Adolescent; D001938:Brazil; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005522:Food Services / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D018673:Nutrition Policy; D009751:Nutritional Requirements; D012574:Schools