Dietary Guidelines for the Brazilian Population (2014)

This dietary guideline aims to improve health and well-being of all Brazilians by promoting healthy and adequate diets. The guidelines provide instructive information for health-related professionals and educators. The guidelines also emphasize cultural, social, and environmental aspects of eating to support Brazilians in making healthier food choices. These are summarized in the “Ten Steps to Healthy Diets” at the end of the guidelines. The guidelines were developed through a participatory and empirical approach with the collaboration of The Ministry of Health, various public departments, and academic institutes. The drafts of the guidelines went through public consultation to incorporate feedback from civil society, professionals, and government agencies.

The guidelines were published and came into effect in November 2014, issued by the Ministry of Health of Brazil. Prior to the guidelines, Brazil went through rapid demographic, epidemiological and nutritional transition with changes in health and food consumption patterns. During this period, Brazil was experiencing a spike in the overweight and obese population while micronutrient deficiencies and chronic malnutrition remained prevalent. The newly published guidelines aimed to expand the scope of the first edition of guidelines from 2006, targeting the expansion of the ultra-processed food market, the persisting malnutrition rate, and the rise in chronic diet-related diseases.

The Ministry of Health of Brazil is the official owner and publisher of the “Dietary Guidelines for the Brazilian Population”. The General Coordination of Food and Nutrition within the Ministry of Health is the leader of the supervision of the guidelines.The national Food and Nutrition Surveillance System developed food intake markers to monitor the dietary patterns and assess diet quality with the principles in the guidelines. However, there is no official evaluation plan as of Sep 9, 2025.

The guidelines are applied in the development of protocols in primary healthcare to offer dietary advice for the general public. Also, the Brazilian School Feeding Programme updated their recommendations on school meals to align with the principles in the guidelines. This includes detailed feeding and purchasing standards in line with NOVA classification. A Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) is developed and provided to schools and the healthcare sector for constructing a universal standard of dietary assessment and counseling. On the other hand, the percentage of energy intake from ultra-processed food is still increasing. This suggests that follow-up policies and long-term monitoring are still needed.

Document and more information: https://bvsms.saude.gov.br/bvs/publicacoes/dietary_guidelines_brazilian_population.pdf