Food Bank: Public Policy Instrument or Assistentialist Mechanism?
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Abstract
This essay discusses the Food Bank Program as a public Food and Nutrition Security (FNS) facility within the scope of the National Food and Nutrition Security System (SISAN), questioning its predominantly assistentialist approach and the limitations of a model based solely on food collection and distribution. Although the program was established with broad objectives—including addressing the root causes of food insecurity, reducing food loss and waste, promoting educational actions, and strengthening user autonomy—national and international evidence indicates that many food banks remain focused on emergency food delivery, perpetuating dependency without confronting the structural determinants of hunger. Drawing on the theoretical perspectives of Vincent Ostrom, Elinor Ostrom, and the principles of Social Management, it is argued that the effectiveness of food banks depends on participatory practices and polycentric, co-produced management models. The theories of the commons, deliberative democracy, and communicative rationality are highlighted as key frameworks for reinterpreting food banks as spaces for self-governance, citizenship strengthening, and emancipation promotion. The essay concludes that the program may become a transformative public policy if it incorporates participatory methodologies, shifting from an assistentialist paradigm toward a social management model oriented toward emancipation and co-responsibility in the production of FNS public policies.
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