Efectividad y Percepción de los Programas de Alimentación Escolar en Latinoamérica

The objective of this article was to conduct a systematic review of the effectiveness and perception of School Feeding Programs (SFPs) in Latin American countries. The analysis included 18 articles published in the last decade, the results of which revealed significant variations across different national contexts. In general, it was found that public management has shown positive progress; however, limitations persist related to a lack of coordination with family farming, negative perceptions among users, and deficiencies in the administration of resources allocated to school feeding. The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic highlighted that timely interventions improved food distribution, although several authors point out that the expected goals were not achieved, underscoring the need to implement more robust strategies to reach the established objectives. Despite the identified weaknesses, the population recognizes the importance of SFPs for the comprehensive development of schoolchildren.