Brazilian food banks: how to evaluate them?

Abstract

Food banks are facilities dedicated to (i) reducing food loss and waste, (ii) ensuring food security and (iii) performing food and nutrition education. Although the food banks are spread all over Brazil, having recognized impact in the society, there are no defined instruments for their evaluation and for improving their results. This paper presents a theoretical-methodological proposal to evaluate the implementation of Brazilian food banks, which intends to offer instruments and techniques to identify if the relation between their inputs, processes and products are consistent with expectations. Based on the elements of a map of processes and results for food banks, this proposal comprises a data collection instrument and an implementation evaluation plan. This evaluation plan is organized into six analytical dimensions, composed of indicators that will show diagnoses of implementation for food banks managed in the four modalities currently in operation in Brazil. We hope that this proposal will be the starting point for expanding the production of evaluation methodologies focused on food banks.