OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to verify the existence of canteens in Florianópolis and the foods and beverages that they are selling after the institution of the State Law of Regulation of Canteens. METHODS: A structured questionnaire was administered by telephone to the school principals or the person in charge of the canteens in the elementary schools of Florianópolis. The data were processed and analyzed by the software SPSS 10.0. RESULTS: Of the 117 institutions of the municipality in 2006, 89.7% participated. Of these, 53.3% of these schools had canteens where 31 were private schools, 22 were state schools and only 3 were municipal schools. The main reasons for the absence of canteens in public schools were the existence of the School Food Program and the requirements imposed by this Law. Amongst the foods forbidden by this Law are fried and other commercial snacks. The majority of the schools do not sell soft drinks (98.2%) or commercial pop corns (92.9%). Natural juices and baked homemade snacks are sold by 75.0% and 98.2% of the schools, respectively. On the other hand, 60.7% of the schools sell artificially-flavored juices. The Law requires that the canteens sell two types of seasonal fruits, but 60.7% of them do not sell fruits or fruit salads. CONCLUSION: Items prohibited by the Law were rarely or no longer sold; however, foods of low nutritional value are still being sold in many schools. It is necessary to inspect these establishments and provide nutritional education for canteen owners, students, parents and teachers.
School canteen; Law of schools canteens; School feeding
