Food and Nutritional Safety Facilities and nutritionists’ actions: elements for reflection

ABSTRACT Objective To describe and review the role of nutritionists in three Brazilian Food Security facilities: popular-restaurants, food banks, and community kitchens. Methods This study comprises a review of the scientific literature combined with an assessment of regulations and technical documents addressing the role of nutritionists in Food Security facilities. Results A total of 29 studies were included in the sample after screening for the inclusion and exclusion criteria: 12 addressed popular-restaurants, 11 food banks, and 6 o community kitchens. The studies indicated that there was an insufficient number of nutritionists in the facilities when compared to the requirements set forth in to-day’s regulations, which ought to be reviewed and updated taking into account the current context. Furthermore, it was difficult to obtain accurate data on the number of nutritionists working in these facilities in Brazil. Conclusion In order to enhance the role of nutritionists in food and nutritional security, actions are required at all levels, including improving professional training, expanding job openings in the public food and nutrition programs, monitoring and inspection by legal councils and raising awareness and mobilizing the professional category to value and acknowledge the actual need of nutritionists and their duties in the food and nutritional security teams.