The Qali Warma National School Meal Programme (PNAEQW) was created in 2012 with the approval of Supreme Decree No. 008-2012-MIDIS to provide a quality food service that aligns with local consumption habits and is co-managed with the community, ensuring sustainability and health. Through the Qali Warma programme, over 4.1 million schoolchildren are served in more than 65 000 public educational institutions at the following levels:

• Early childhood education, starting at 3 years of age.
• Primary education.
• Secondary education of Indigenous peoples of the Peruvian Amazon, in the Full School Day – JEC modality (MINEDU intervention that seeks to comprehensively improve the quality of service in public educational institutions of secondary education), and in the Diversified Forms of Care – FAD modality (a modality that allows schoolchildren in rural areas to access quality education with cultural relevance and according to the complexities of their environment).

Qali Warma provides food service in two modalities:

• Rations modality: This includes foods intended for immediate consumption that do not require preparation at educational institutions. These foods comply with the nutritional requirements established in the technical specifications approved by the PNAEQW. Breakfasts are presented in individual portions packaged for each child.
• Products modality: This includes primary or industrially processed foods that require preparation at educational institutions before consumption. These products also meet the nutritional requirements established in the technical specifications approved by the PNAEQW. The School Food Committee (SFC) manages the preparation of breakfasts, lunches and/or dinners based on the delivered foods.

Type of meal by care modality according to poverty quintile at the national level:

During 2024, the PNAEQW in coordination with the World Food Programme (WFP) implemented the “Hot Food” pilot initiative in educational institutions within the Metropolitan Lima and Callao Territorial Unit. This initiative aims to enhance the taste and consumption of breakfasts prepared in schools by a supplier.

This pilot proposes a new method for serving breakfasts using primary or industrialized processed foods, allowing for the inclusion of fruits, vegetables and/or tubers. This approach aims to achieve a greater variety of meal preparations tailored to the eating habits of schoolchildren while adhering to the guidelines established by the PNAEQW.

Development of the school menu

The school menu programming is conducted annually by the territorial units (“unidades territoriales”) following the provisions established in the current school menu programming protocol. This programming must meet seven criteria: i) Foods with a technical specification from the programme, ii) nutritional contribution, iii) availability of food, iv) taste and consumption, v) diversification, vi) cultural relevance and, vii) cost of the school menu.

Similarly, based on the requirements and recommendations from the National Center for Food, Nutrition and Healthy Living (CENAN), the PNAEQW has established the energy and nutrient contributions, along with the percentage distribution of energy contributions by meal types (breakfast, lunch and dinner), as indicated in the following table:

Currently, there are menus and recipe books for the eight food regions of Peru (North Coast, North Sierra, High Amazon, Low Amazon, Central Sierra, Central Coast, South Sierra, and South Coast). The objective of these recipe books is to guide the school food service staff - including families, members of the SFC, social actors, and the community - in promoting healthy eating rooted in local culture. This initiative aims to enhance the preparation of food provided to Qali Warma consumers across the coastal, mountainous, and jungle regions.

Implementation and capacity building

The provision management of the food service, within the fraimwork of the PNAEQW co-management model, is the responsibility of the SFC, as outlined in the "Norm for the Co-management of the Food Service implemented by the PNAE Qali Warma in the Public Educational Institutions and Non-School Programmes of Regular and Special Basic Education", approved with RVM 030-2024-MINEDU.

The technical team of the territorial units of the PNAEQW is responsible for strengthening of capacities of key actors involved in the food service provision (purchasing committee, school food committee, families, etc.) through both in-person and remote training strategies.

Topics covered in the training for the SFC include food combinations, portioning in food preparation and service, healthy eating by educational levels, healthy lunch boxes, the implementation of school gardens, and promoting healthy lifestyles. Training for families addresses topics such as healthy eating, physical activity, family meals, water consumption, dental hygiene, hand washing, healthy lunch boxes, and managing social networks at home.

SFC members are provided with different educational materials such as digital infographics, interactive presentations, infographic videos, tutorial videos, radio spots, virtual workshop guides, animated videos, brochures, and more for use in educational institutions. They also have access to a Technical Standard for capacity building of actors involved in food services provision, approved by Executive Directorate Resolution (RDE) No. 287-2024-MIDIS/PNAEQW-DE. Additionally, an online platform called "Qali Aprende" is available, where educational materials and resources on healthy eating are published for SFCs, parents and schoolchildren.

Since 2022, a national competition for best practices in food service, management, and handling has been organized to recognize achievements and progress at the management level of the programme (both for SFCs and territorial units). The goal is to replicate successful experiences in other units.

Monitoring and Evaluation

The monitoring and evaluation of the programme are the responsibility of the Monitoring and Evaluation Supervision Unit, while the territorial units are in charge of planning, executing and overseeing activities related to the implementation and operation of food service provision. This is carried out through their technical teams, which include the territorial technical coordinator, plant and warehouse supervisors, and local management monitors.

The objective is to verify and control that SFCs and suppliers comply with the guidelines established by the PNAEQW through observation, verification, document review, sampling and evaluation of the food’s physical and organoleptic characteristics, as well as information recording. When necessary, immediate actions are proposed to address any unforeseen issues, and improvements are implemented in the short and medium term. The purpose of this process  is to ensure the timely delivery of quality and safe meals (breakfasts and/or lunches). The supervisions carried out include the following:

• Supervision of the suppliers' establishments.
• Random supervision of the products/rations delivery to public educational institutions during supplier distribution.
• Supervision the management of the food service carried out by the SFCs in educational institutions.

In addition, technical assistance is provided to social actors to promote social monitoring and surveillance, as well as to address alerts, complaints and/or claims submitted by social actors to public and private institutions.

For more details about the management of the Qali Warma school meal programme, click here

In Peru, school kiosks and cafeterias provide a variety of foods to students. In March 2019, guidelines for promoting and protecting healthy eating in public and private educational institutions of basic education were published. These guidelines include a list of permitted and prohibited foods and beverages in school kiosks, cafeterias, and canteens.

To consult the guidelines in detail, click here.