Building healthy, sustainable, and inclusive food systems through public food procurement from family farming: an integrative review

Public food procurement purchases items from family farming as a strategy for building sustainable food systems, though it is acknowledged that not all family farming is sustainable. However, it is unclear whether these strategies derived from program guidelines are translated into actions at various stages of the food system, from production to consumption. In light of this, an integrative review was conducted with the goal of linking public food procurement from family farming to the construction of sustainable food systems, focusing on two key Brazilian public procurement programs: the Food Acquisition Program (PAA), particularly its Purchase with Simultaneous Donation (CDS) modality, and the National School Feeding Program (PNAE). The integrative review reveals that while these programs are designed with the intention of building sustainable food systems, their implementation faces limitations. The guidelines include criteria such as the procurement of organic and agroecological foods, foods from sociobiodiversity, sourced from traditional peoples and communities, and the inclusion of vulnerable family farmers as suppliers. However, the results of the policies are concentrated in the socioeconomic dimension, particularly in increasing income and ensuring market access. For public procurement policies to positively impact the transformation of healthy, sustainable, and inclusive food systems, it is still necessary to expand the scope of the programs in their healthy and sustainable dimensions.