COMIDA DE QUILOMBO NA MERENDA ESCOLAR: INTERFACES ENTRE A CULTURA ALIMENTAR E O PROGRAMA NACIONAL DE ALIMENTAÇÃO ESCOLAR.

The National School Feeding Program (PNAE) aims to contribute to the biopsychosocial development, school performance and the formation of healthy eating habits in Brazilian public schools. However, in quilombola territory, the offer of meals by the program often conflicts with the groups' history and food identity. In this article, we analyze the relationship between the quilombo of Umarizal (Baião, Pará) and the school meals, and discuss how local individuals perceive the program and how it participates in the local sociocultural reality. For this, qualitative methodology such as direct observation, interviews, and focus group was used. Data were analyzed according to ethnographic research parameters. The results show that there is a discontinuity between the PNAE and the quilombo food culture, causing a mismatch between the food offered at school and the local culture. This flaw needs to be corrected to promote equal learning opportunities for the students across the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]