[On the plan to combat hunger and misery]

Abstract

This paper discusses the "Plan Against Hunger and Misery" as it relates to the Ministry of Health. The Plan centers around the program "Milk is Health", subsidized by the Brazilian Nutritional Surveillance System and aimed at undernourished children, his/her close relatives and pregnant women under nutritional risks identified in the public health sector. The authors raise questions regarding the role(s) to be played by the health system and by the Nutritional Surveillance System in the implementation of the Plan, the guidelines for food distribution, the indicators for selecting target groups and the parameters for evaluating the program "Milk is Health" itself. It is also argued that the Plan should value structural modifications, without which it will not be possible to ameliorate misery and hunger in Brazil.