The proclamation of the Decade of Action on Nutrition (2016-2025) by the United Nations was prompted by the realization that the causes of malnutrition are complex and multidimensional – as exemplified by situations of poverty and extreme poverty and by the lack of access to a quality, diversified diet that respects the dietary habits and cultures of different peoples and countries. In Brazil, the food and nutrition security agenda has always been guided by an integrated vision of the dietary system, expressed in the concept of “food and nutrition security.” The aim of the present article is to describe how the Brazilian experience structuring a national public agenda on food and nutrition security in the past two decades relates to and converges upon the notion of nutrition and food systems covered in the Decade of Action on Nutrition framework. For that, we discuss aspects relating to the governance of food and nutrition security in Brazil and the role of public purchases from family farming, which are aimed at encouraging production, sales, and access to a healthy diet locally and promoting a healthier food system.
