A national strategy for food and nutrition security in Brazilian cities

Combating food and nutrition insecurity requires coordination across different levels of government, placing cities as protagonists in the implementation of food policies and the development of innovative solutions.

In 2024, the Ministry of Social Development and Fight against Hunger and Comida do Amanhã signed a strategic partnership to strengthen urban food security through the Alimenta Cidades Strategy. Created by Decree No. 11,822/2023, the initiative aims to expand access to healthy food and promote local production, with a special focus on vulnerable urban areas.

The National Secretariat for Food and Nutrition Security (SESAN/MDS) coordinates the Strategy, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agricultural Development and Family Agriculture (MDA) and the Ministry of Cities (MCID), within the scope of the Interministerial Chamber for Food and Nutrition Security (Caisan). As an implementing partner, Comida do Amanhã offers specialized technical support to public managers from different regions of Brazil. With a dedicated team of 14 professionals residing and working in the participating municipalities, the Institute has assisted in carrying out municipal assessments and in developing implementation pathways for each municipality’s food agenda, based on an understanding of local specificities.

In 2025, the expansion of the Strategy was formalized in two stages: MDS Ordinance No. 1,098, dated July 16, invited 23 cities with more than 300,000 inhabitants to join the initiative, while Ordinance No. 1,101, dated July 22, extended participation to 18 municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul on an emergency basis. In this new phase, the Comida do Amanhã Institute began to technically coordinate implementation in 23 new cities, maintaining support for the 60 cities in the first cycle and ensuring the continuity and strengthening of the urban food agenda in all participating territories.