Pescado para alimentação escolar no Paraná: políticas públicas e análise territorial da sua produção

Abstract

This dissertation analyzes the inclusion of fish in school feeding in Paraná, with emphasis on the role of the National School Feeding Program (PNAE) as a structuring public policy for food and nutritional security. The investigation combined literature review, document analysis, and empirical research across multiple scales. At the state level, data from FUNDEPAR (2015–2022) were examined, highlighting the historical predominance of breaded fish but also the recent appreciation of tilapia fillets, linked to the strong production base in western Paraná. In some microregions, fish has already surpassed other meats in the volume purchased, revealing its strategic potential for school menus. At the municipal level, 27 public procurement calls (2019–2025) were analyzed in dialogue with the Municipal Livestock Production data (IBGE). The results show significant presence of fish whenever animal protein is supplied, although territorial gaps and temporal fluctuations remain. Frozen tilapia was the most recurrent item, with formats adapted to the school public, such as fish balls. The study demonstrates that the inclusion of fish in school feeding is conditioned not only by production availability but also by the institutional, logistical, and pedagogical arrangements that sustain PNAE implementation in the state. Furthermore, it reveals a gap between state legal frameworks—which project the universalization of organic school meals by 2030—and the absence of specific sustainability criteria for animal proteins. It is concluded that fish already holds a significant position in Paraná’s school feeding and can be consolidated as a strategic food for more sustainable food systems, provided that public policies advance in aligning institutional consumption, regional production base, and sustainability guidelines.