Rev Saude Publica. 2026 Mar 20;60:e14. doi: 10.11606/s1518-8787.2026060007205. eCollection 2026.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To describe the socioeconomic profile and activity of street vendors, as well as the profile of food sales, according to industrial processing, in the vicinity of private schools in Brazilian state capitals.
METHODS: Cross-sectional study with street vendors in the immediate vicinity of a national probability sample of Brazilian private schools. Elementary and/or high schools participating in the Food Marketing in Brazilian Schools Study were included. A previously validated questionnaire was applied to characterize workers, infrastructure and food availability. Food was classified according to the NOVA system. Comparisons between macro-regions (North, Northeast, Central-West, Southeast, and South) and sizes of point of sale (smallest: 1-3 items; intermediate: 4-13 items; largest: ≥ 14 items) were evaluated using the Kruskal-Wallis test.
RESULTS: The informal food and beverage trade in the immediate vicinity of 2,180 private schools was mapped, totaling 699 street vendors. There was a predominance of men (57.8%), black people (68.8%), those with completed secondary education (35.8%), and those who worked informally (91.4%), in carts and stalls, due to a lack of opportunity in the formal market (52.5%). The median number of ultra-processed items was about twice that of in natura, minimally processed, or processed foods and preparations based on them (2.17; 95%CI 1.90-2.45). Larger outlets concentrated more ultra-processed foods in all regions, except in the Northeast, where this predominance already occurred in intermediate-sized outlets (3.32; 95%CI 2.88-3.75). The lowest ratio of ultra-processed foods was observed in the South (0.21; 95%CI 0.05-0.37) and the highest in the Northeast (3.32; 95%CI 2.88-3.75).
CONCLUSION: Street vending around Brazilian private schools reflects structural inequalities and expands commercially in the supply of ultra-processed foods to children and adolescents. We recommend its inclusion as an inseparable component in the evaluation of the school food environment, to support policies that reconcile income generation and the promotion of healthy eating.
PMID:41880458 | DOI:10.11606/s1518-8787.2026060007205
