About the Authors

Itanajara Dione Nascimento de Almeida (Iya Itanajara de Oxum) is a prominent leader of the Cabinda Nation (Bantu people) and an Iyalorixá do Batuque in Rio Grande do Sul. Deeply involved in food security advocacy. Itanajara works with the national coordination of FONSANPOTMA, serves as its executive coordinator in Porto Alegre, and is the president of the Potmas Cooperative (COOPTMA). She actively influences public policy as a counsellor for both the national and state Food Security Councils (CONSEA), and is a delegate of traditional terreiro communities at the Municipal Council of Black People in Porto Alegre, Brazil.

Fábio Resende de Araújo is an Associate Professor at UFRN, working in the Department of Public Administration and Social Management. He is a permanent faculty member of the Graduate Program in Public Management (PPGP/UFRN), leader of the Institutional Management and Public Policy Study and Research Group (GIPP) at CCSA/UFRN, and coordinator of the Observatory of Inequalities (DAPGS-UFRN). In 2025, he served as one of the coordinators of the special commission designated by Caisan-RN to draft the 1st State Food Security Plan for Rio Grande do Norte.

Joana Yasmin Melo de Araujo is a UFRN-graduated dietitian and a specialist in Weight Loss and Metabolism (Uniguaçu). With a strong background in managing Food and Nutrition Security (SAN) public policies at SETHAS/RN, she has collaborated on projects focused on school food policies, ethno-nutrition, food literacy, and socio-biodiversity in the Caatinga and Amazon biomes. She is the lead author of “Frutas da Floresta: o poder nutricional da biodiversidade amazônica”. Dedicated to the transformative role of real food, her work centres on food sovereignty, individual autonomy, and reclaiming culinary skills through dietary biodiversity.

Adélia Arruda Neta is a Brazilian researcher and a visiting postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Public Health, Policy and Systems at the University of Liverpool, UK. Her research focuses on the analysis of dietary intake, the nutrition transition, and cardiovascular disease risk factors, with an emphasis on developing predictive modelling and evaluating the effectiveness of public policies. Her work aims to understand health and nutritional inequalities through research and to inform public health policies.

Rita Simone Barbosa holds a PhD in Education from the Federal University of Sergipe (UFS), which included a doctoral exchange at Toronto Metropolitan University. She is the author of O Bem Viver Numa Aldeia Menina (2025). She holds a master’s in communication and culture, degrees in literature, public relations, and journalism, and is studying Brazilian Sign Language (Libras). The daughter and granddaughter of Maranhão’s Babaçu coconut crackers, she is a Sesc Sergipe Culture Program supervisor and an Indigenous knowledge trainer (MEC/UFS). Her research focuses on community communication, intercultural education, agroecology, territoriality, and traditional knowledge.

Ingrid Bezerra is an Associate Professor in the Department of Nutrition at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Brazil. She holds a PhD in Administration (Public Policy) and has extensive academic leadership experience, serving on UFRN’s University Councils (CONSUNI/CONSEPE), as former Head of the Nutrition Undergraduate program, and as Vice-Chair of the Nutrition Department. She is a permanent faculty member in the Graduate Programs in Health Sciences and Nutrition at UFRN and serves on the State Council for Food and Nutrition Security (CONSEA-RN). Her research focuses on nutritional epidemiology and public policies for food security.

Mariana Silva Bezerra is a professor at the Trairi Faculty of Health Sciences of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (FACISA/UFRN). A dietitian with a Master’s and a Doctorate in Public Health, she developed her master’s thesis and doctoral dissertation in the field of Food and Nutrition Security. She is a member of the Brazilian Research Network on Food Environments (Rede AMBAR). Her work is dedicated to generating knowledge aimed at strengthening policies and actions to promote the Human Right to Adequate Food.

Ricardo Andrade Bezerra is a dietitian with a Master’s degree in Physical Education and is completing his Doctorate in Public Health at UFRN. His master’s and doctoral research focuses on nutritional epidemiology and behaviour in children and adolescents.

Cláudia Maria Bógus is a pedagogue and an Associate Professor at the School of Public Health at the University of São Paulo (USP). She earned her specialization, master’s, PhD, and Habilitation (Livre-Docência) in Health Promotion from the School of Public Health at USP (FSP-USP). She is also a member of the Nutrition and Poverty Research Group at USP’s Institute of Advanced Studies (IEA).

Dinara Leslye Macedo Silva Calazans has been a professor at UFRN, Brazil, since 2010, teaching in the Graduate Programs in Public Management and Administration. She has an extensive professional and academic background in implementing public food policies, such as the Food Acquisition Program (PAA), the National School Feeding Program (PNAE), and the Popular Restaurants Program, earning awards recognized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO/UN) and the National School of Public Administration (ENAP). She is currently conducting research on territoriality and food sovereignty alongside Indigenous peoples.

Vanessa Daufenback is a sociologist and nutritionist. She is a professor in the Nutrition program at the School of Medicine and Life Sciences at the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná (PUCPR). She holds a master’s degree in Sociology from UNESP, a PhD in Public Health from the School of Public Health at the University of São Paulo (FSP-USP), and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR).

Manoel Domingues (Babalorixá Odessi) is a traditional authority of the Yoruba African matrix, recognized for his traditional territory of origin and his national advocacy in defense of traditional peoples of African matrix. He sits on numerous councils and is a founder of the Council of Traditional Peoples of African Matrix of Embu das Artes. He is also the representative of the Yoruba people in the Ancestry of the National FONSANPOTMA, President of the Matriz Institute, and coordinated the documentary research front within FONSANPOTMA’s cooperation with Fiocruz on public health and POTMAs.

Andhressa Araújo Fagundes is a Nutritionist, Associate Professor at Federal University of Sergipe. Master’s degree in Health Sciences and PhD in Human Nutrition from the University of Brasilia (UnB). Postdoctoral research at Ryerson University (2018/2019) and Toronto Metropolitan University (2024/2025). Coordinator of the food and nutrition education laboratory, at UFS. Her work focuses on Nutrition and Health Education; Food Security; Qualitative Research; Methodology and teaching methods for higher education.

Maria Aparecida da Silva Lessa is a Brazilian popular educator with 20 years of experience and a specialist in Ethnic-Racial Education. From 2019 to 2022, she coordinated the documentary research project Food from Diverse Worlds: A Dialogue between African Traditional Peoples and Collective Health, a partnership between FONSANPOTMA and Fiocruz. Since 2017, she has served as founder and coordinator of FONSANPOTMA Rio de Janeiro. Since 2019, she has directed the Memórias Alimentam Collective. She has been Administrative Director of the Cooperative of African Traditional Peoples (2022–2026), a member of the National Basic Education Program Advisory Group (2024–2026), and a Rio de Janeiro Food Security Council member (2024–2027).

Severina Carla Lima is an Associate Professor in the Department of Nutrition at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Brazil, where she teaches in the graduate programs in Public Health and Nutrition. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada (2023–2024). She leads the Food, Nutrition and Health Research Group and collaborates on multicentre projects on food, health, food and nutrition security, and the exposome. Her research focuses on nutritional epidemiology, food systems, healthy and sustainable diets, and food security. She has authored scientific articles and book chapters promoting health equity.

Clélia de Oliveira Lyra is an Associate Professor in the Undergraduate and Graduate Human Nutrition programs and in the Graduate Program in Collective Health at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN). She holds a PhD in Health Sciences from UFRN and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Toronto Metropolitan University in Canada. She is a member of the Brazilian Research Network on Sovereignty and Food and Nutritional Security and the Epidemiology Committee of the Brazilian Association of Collective Health. Her research focuses on nutritional epidemiology, food insecurity, dietary intake, nutritional status, and the epidemiology of chronic diseases.

Wendjilla Fortunato de Medeiros holds a Master’s degree in Nutrition and a postgraduate specialization in Primary Care from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN). During her training, she conducted research in the fields of food security and food quality. Since 2024, she has worked as a hospital and outpatient dietitian in the oncology department at the Antônio Pedro University Hospital (HUAP-UFF), where she also serves as a preceptor for the Multiprofessional Residency program.

Andrea Ferreira Jacques de Moraes is a former co-coordinator of the Betinho Project Seminar Series (2019–2024) at the Centre for Studies in Food Security at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU). She holds a PhD in rural sociology from the University of Columbia, in Missouri, USA. Andrea has been teaching at TMU since 2007,  especially at the Chang School’s Certificate in Food Security. Previously, she founded and organized the Brazilian Studies Seminars at York University (2004–2008). Her work and teaching are driven by a commitment to equity in food security.

Edson Augusto Nogueira (Tata Ngangadile) is a traditional authority of the Bantu people and a political organizer for the National Forum for Food and Nutritional Security of Traditional Peoples of African Matrix (FONSANPOTMA) since its founding. For over three decades, he has worked to promote popular education, Afro-Brazilian culture, the rights of traditional peoples, and the preservation of African-matrix knowledge. He develops projects, research, and community-building initiatives alongside communities, civil society organizations, and public institutions, and coordinates FONSANPOTMA’s cooperation with Fiocruz on public health and POTMAs.

Regina Barros Goulart Nogueira (Kota Mulanji) is a medical doctor who graduated from the Federal University of Pelotas (1984), with completed credits toward a Master’s degree in Mental Health from the Catholic University of Pelotas and a Doctorate in Biomedicine from the Italian University Institute of Rosario. She is a traditional authority of the Bantu people, a professor at the Catholic University of Pelotas, and a student in the Graduate Program in Public Policy and Human Rights at UCPEL. She has served as a researcher at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), a pediatric and neonatal intensivist, and coordinates the Integrando Saberes (Integrating Knowledge) research project—developed in partnership between ObservaPICS/Fiocruz and FONSANPOTMA—which is dedicated to the study of traditional African medicine in Brazil.

Juliana Kitanji Goulart Nogueira is a biologist and a Master’s student in the Graduate Program in Territorial Development and Agroindustrial Systems. A woman from the Traditional Peoples and Communities of African Matrix, she works with the National Forum for Food and Nutritional Security of Traditional Peoples of African Matrix (FONSANPOTMA). She conducts research on Ubuntu, Bem Viver (Good Living), socio-technical innovation, food sovereignty, and counter-colonial perspectives, bridging academic production, activism, and ancestral knowledge. She also coordinated FONSANPOTMA’s cooperation with Fiocruz on public health and POTMAs.

Rosa Oliveira Neta, PhD in Public Health from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. Her work focuses on food and nutrition, public health, school food programs, and sustainability. Her research examines adherence to sustainable diets, food deserts, and their impacts on population health and socioeconomic conditions. She also has experience in the management of food and nutrition services, food and nutrition security, and health education, integrating professional practice with scientific research and the continuous improvement of service quality.

Antonio Teófilo Pinheiro Neto is an advertising specialist who graduated with a degree in Social Communication (Advertising and Publicity) from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN). He holds a postgraduate specialization in Media, Information, and Culture from CELACC at the University of São Paulo (USP) and is a Master’s student in the Graduate Program in Media Studies (PPgEM/UFRN).

Gaio Jorge Araujo Baptista de Paiva is the Climate Change Coordinator for the Municipal Secretariat of Environment and Climate of Rio de Janeiro (SMAC), as well as a food engineer and cultural producer. Raised in Guadalupe, a neighbourhood on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro, he works on formulating public policies aimed at climate justice, adaptation, and social participation, with a focus on training community leaders from peripheral areas and building more resilient cities.

Nila Patrícia Freire Pequeno holds a Doctorate in Public Health and has been a professor at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Brazil, since 2009, where she teaches in the Department of Nutrition and the Graduate Program in Nutrition. She is a researcher and the state coordinator for the inter-institutional project SISAN em Movimento (2024–2027). Her areas of expertise include food and nutrition security; public policies on food and nutrition; nutritional epidemiology; and the diagnosis, nutritional analysis, and quality of life assessment of populations, including Indigenous peoples.

Ana Beatriz Rodrigues Pinheiro, MSc, is a nutritionist and holds a Master’s degree in Nutrition from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN). Her professional and research path focuses on clinical and public health nutrition, specializing in metabolic responses and dietary challenges. As a researcher for the population-based Brazuca Natal study, her work directly examines the critical intersection between Food and Nutrition Insecurity and chronic conditions. Driven by a commitment to health equity, she applies evidence-based strategies to combat dietary disparities and promote local, sustainable, and equitable food practices.

Laura Brito Porciúncula is a dietitian who graduated from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN). Her core academic training was at the Horta Comunitária Nutrir (Nutrir Community Garden) Laboratory, where she engaged in teaching, research, and community outreach focused on food biodiversity, food and nutrition security, and sustainable food systems. She has participated in science communication projects and the production of technical materials on food plants and school gardens. She was also part of the Sustentarea group, where she participated in developing the food systems sustainability index (MISF-S), in partnership with the University of São Paulo (USP).

Janete Santos Ribeiro holds a Master’s in Education and a Bachelor’s in History from the Fluminense Federal University (UFF). A History professor within the FAETEC network, she teaches at the Higher Institute of Education of Rio de Janeiro (ISERJ) and coordinates the Rio dos Estudantes workshops for the Rio Memórias Virtual Museum. Bridging academia, activism, and schooling, she organizes the project Tudo é Motivo para um Oriki, merging literature and history to foster racially conscious readers (leitorxs). She also serves on the Advisory Board of IPEAFRO.

Elisabetta Recine, Department of Nutrition and Observatory on Food and Nutritional Security Policies at the University of Brasilia. Alliance for Adequate and Healthy Food. Food and Nutrition Working Group, from Brazilian Association of Public Health (Abrasco). Brazilian Research Network on Food and Nutrition Sovereignty and Security. Steering Committee of the High-Level Panel of Experts of the UN Committee on World Food Security (2017–2019; 2021–2025). Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems – IPES Food. President of the National Council for Food and Nutrition Security.

Silvia do Amaral Rigon is a nutritionist and a retired professor from the Department of Nutrition at the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR). She holds a master’s degree in Human Geography from UFPR and a PhD in Sciences from the School of Public Health at the University of São Paulo (FSP-USP).

Cecilia Rocha, Professor Emerita, School of Nutrition, is the former Director (2005-2010 and 2019-2021) of the Centre for Studies in Food Security at Toronto Metropolitan University. She was a member of the Toronto Food Policy Council (2005-2010), the Expert Panel on Food Security in Northern Canada (2012-2014), the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems (2014-2021), and the director of the project Building Capacity in Food Security in Brazil (2004-2010). Cecilia is the founder and co-coordinator of the Betinho Project, and author of scholarly papers and reports on food policy in Brazil.

Priscilla Moura Rolim, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Nutrition at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Brazil. She holds a Master’s in Nutrition and a PhD in Biotechnology, and completed research at the Centre for Studies in Food Security at Toronto Metropolitan University in 2023. Priscilla is the leader of the Research Group in Foodservice Management (GPAC) and coordinates projects in foodservice management, focusing on sustainability and food systems within large-scale meal production.

Clara Cecília Ribeiro de Sá is a Nutritionist with a master’s degree in nutritional sciences and a PhD student in Health Sciences at the Federal University of Sergipe (UFS). She is a member of the UFS Laboratory of Food and Nutrition Education.

Flávia Fabrina Santos, Nutritionist (2014–2018), holder of a postgraduate qualification in Clinical Nutrition and Nutritional Therapy (2020) and a Master’s degree in Natural Sciences (2022–2024). Interested in the fields of clinical nutrition, research and public health.

Tatiana Canuto Silva, PhD student in Health Sciences and holder of a Master’s degree in Nutritional Sciences from the Federal University of Sergipe (UFS), with a specialisation in Food Security from UNESP. A member of the Laboratory of Food and Nutrition Education at UFS. She has extensive experience in the public management of Food Security, having served as Director of Food and Nutritional Security for the State of Sergipe, as a Councillor at Consea/SE. Her career combines academic research with the implementation of public policies and participatory governance in the field of Food and Nutritional Security.

David de Oliveira Silva, PhD in Public Health, serves as the Municipal Secretary of Education, Culture and Sports of Bom Jesus, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. For the past eight years, he has served as the municipal coordinator of the UNICEF Seal Programme, leading public policies for children and adolescents, including initiatives in food and nutrition, education, and sustainability. He is also a reviewer for several peer-reviewed journals in food and nutrition. His research interests include psychosocial determinants of weight loss, child and adolescent nutrition, school food and nutrition, evidence-based medicine, and public health nutrition.

Verônica Maria Corrêa da Silva, also known as Omobinrin Verônica Ti Odè, studies Institutional Communication. As a leader and popular educator, her health advocacy is rooted in the food system of traditional peoples of African matrix, promoting family farming and reclaiming ancestral practices. She works on behalf of traditional youth and complementary integrative health practices, fighting for the human right to adequate food and for the respect of culture and ethnic identity.

Iyalorixá Roberta Costa de Yemonjá is the founder and manager of the Instituto Cultural Águas do Amanhã (ICAA), an organization that works to promote food sovereignty, social justice, and the empowerment of Black women, women from marginalized communities, and of the African matrix. She is also a religious leader of Ilê Àṣẹ Awon Omi Yemonja, articulating ancestral knowledge, human rights, and community development.