Bearing in mind that hegemonic food systems impact on the set up of food environments and these, in turn, put pressure on consumers’ food choices [8], it is necessary to consider that the origin and seasonality of foods are characteristics that are often not contemplated for the choice and food consumption, a dynamic factor that contributes to the disconnection between production and consumption. The distancing of consumers from food production is also observed in the reports of this investigation, as consumers suggest that the production site or the source of food is not an aspect that determines the choice of food, as transcribed below:

This does not interfere [source of food], because the markets take a little from each place and they will not put a little sign stating where staples come from

Honestly, I never cared for it, I never paid attention, because here a good portion of the products comes from other regions, there are few that are produced here, I think, I never cared for it, I never really cared for it

It is important to emphasize that food produced close to consumers can be fresher and cause less environmental impact. Darolt et al. [16] emphasize that a closer food production brings benefits to farmers and consumers: for farmers it allows more autonomy, eliminates the need for intermediaries, ensures a fair price and reduces marketing losses. These factors show the potential of family farming for sustainable development and this is an important aspect considering that the municipality chosen in our study has an agricultural vocation. In relation to consumers, these alternatives can favor changes in eating habits, encourage taste re-education and more conscious consumption [16].

In addition, the consumption of local food allows creating a relationship of trust between producers and consumers, favoring access to better quality food at a fair price [17]. The consumption of local food is in line with what the Food Guide for the Brazilian population recommends, which encourages the consumption of fresh food as the basis of a healthy and adequate diet. The guidance provided by the guide, in addition to contributing to health, bears a positive impact on the environment, as it implies, even if indirectly, a more sustainable food system [18].

The process of regulating food for sale often constitutes a barrier, especially when it comes to family farming small-scale production. To start the product registration process, it is necessary, initially, to verify the main raw material that will be used in the processing, since the regulation goes through different instances, which are: the Ministry of Health, through the Sanitary Surveillance in the case of products of plant origin, the Municipal, State and Federal Inspection Services in the case of products of animal origin, and the Ministério da Agricultura, Pecuária e Abastecimento (Department of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply), in the case of beverages [19].

In this connection, considering the complexities of health legislation and the registration and inspection of food and beverages instances, it is observed that commercial outlets’ managers have problems understanding those rules, as observed in the interview excerpt, related to the sale of food by family agro-industries:

You have to be registered, if it’s in the SIM [Municipal Inspection Service] you can only sell in the municipality; you must have the SIF [Federal Inspection Service] registration to sell from one municipality to the other so we are cautious, for example, cookies there in Sarandi only have a SIM label; hence you cannot sell those cookies here [Palmeira das Missões]

In this case, there is a lack of information regarding the food legislation and the hygienic-sanitary regulation, since the cookies mentioned by the above respondent is a plant source food, which can be sold in other municipalities, since the restriction to municipalities or states refers only to products of animal origin, and not to the registration linked to the Sanitary Surveillance Service. Faced with this confusion surrounding the legislation, food produced in nearby municipalities is not allowed to be marketed and accessed by consumers.

In addition to this obstacle in relation to legislation and regularization, the process of formalizing family agro-industries is a difficult process that involves steps in the sanitary, environmental and tax/fiscal spheres and that, to a certain extent, produces the exclusion of producers from family agriculture due to the high necessary investments:

Because today to produce honey, lard, cheese, he will have to legalize it, it has an extra cost, the legislation does not allow buying a grandmother-made cheese, even if it is a good quality cheese; today if she continues to sell that cheese she will have to legalize it, pay a fee, an inspection by the Municipal Inspection Service, the SIM, so it generates an extra cost (Representative of Food Safety Department).

As to the distribution outlets, their owners pointed out the importance of selling products with no risk of contamination. This aspect is evidenced in the following excerpt from the interview: “it must have a bar code, nutritional information, it must be registered [Establishment Type 1]”. This statement implies that even though there is a consumer demand for small farmers’ products, these products are not available, which is justified by the fact that, as explained by one of the interviewees, [if the inspection] find them on the shelf, they will [Establishment Type 1].

Issues associated with the lack of local initiatives were also listed, as suggested by the following interview excerpt:

We were unable to envision an agroindustry for cheese, for salami and a little bit also the vision of the municipality that also does not have priority to invest in small agroindustries to generate taxes for the municipality and also improve the quality of life of these small farmers

The lack of local actions aimed at regulating local food implies little progress towards the inclusion of family farmers in the markets and, consequently, less availability of food produced in local food systems.

Faced with this scenario, Castro [1] considers ssential to review the health regulations, in order to include family farming producers. From this perspective, there has been some progress, such as, for example, the Resolução da Diretoria Colegiada (RDC, Resolution of the Collegiate Board) nº 49, dated 2013, that, among other advances, proposes an expanded dialogue between health surveillance and FNS principles, in a proposal that broadens the vision of health [20]. However, even if there have been advances in regulatory standards for food production by family farmers, such changes are still insufficient to contribute to the formalization and entry into formal markets [21].

In 2017, RDC nº 153/2017 was enacted [22]. This regulation, which aims to simplify procedures aimed at small-scale production, represents an advance in relation to RDC nº 49, 2013. This advance is related to the proposed classification of productive activities according to the risk involved in production. Thus, activities are classified as high or low health risk. Among the activities carried out by family farmers, most were classified as low risk, which simplifies the issuance of the health license [23]. Still along this line, in 2017, Anvisa instituted the Programa para Inclusão Produtiva e Segurança Sanitária (Program for Productive Inclusion and Health Security), aimed at improving the performance of health surveillance in rural family enterprises [24]. There are, therefore, advances in relation to the production, processing and commercialization of food on a family farm scale. Despite these advances, it is still necessary to strengthen and integrate these actions and policies.

Another aspect that involves food availability, access and consumption is the political dimension. A barrier found for food production in the Municipality is linked to local politics which, as empirical data suggest, do little to encourage family farming and the production of healthy foods to supply local markets and consumption; at the same time production of commodities is overvalued. These aspects are depicted in the interview excerpts below:

A little is due to the political vision, Palmeira is characterized by medium and large rural properties [...]. So, the small farmer is left a little aside, he is not given the chance [...] it will not generate income, a large yield of the ICMS tax, so it is left aside, the social side is not considered. With a project like that, you are benefiting 30, 40 families, right? [...] so it is a management problem, regardless of the party administering the municipality (Local political representative).

Regarding public food policies, currently, even though the municipality has been reaching and exceeding the minimum percentage of 30% of purchases from family farmers as required by the PNAE – in 2017 it was around 49% – there are few local producers that sell food to the PNAE, and the sale is restricted basically to vegetables [25]. The other products are purchased from other municipalities and cooperatives in the region:

There are these two linked agro-industries that deliver to the PNAE, there are three or four of the street market sellers who deliver to the PNAE [...] Street market products [vegetables], also because of the issue of supply, which occurs fortnightly, so it is not feasible to bring products from other regions; therefore these companies located outside the municipality supply grape juice, oranges, meat, cheese. These agro-industries, sometimes use a cooperative to supply salamis and sausages, there is a gentlemen’s agreement that they will supply the products that the municipality cannot supply, so they leave aside the street marketers; the street marketers of the municipality supply all this part [vegetables], while agroindustries are absent

Problems were also experienced for the implementation of the PAA in the municipality, reflecting the lack of articulated and intersectoral initiatives among the professionals who work in the implementation of these policies in the municipality, as highlighted in the following excerpt:

PAA [in 2018] brought a project of 130 thousand reais for the municipality; we got a producer, our job was to get a producer with the products, we got up to 80 thousand reais of the product[...] it was that simultaneous donation, which was for the Centro de Referência de Assistência Social (CRAS Social Assistance Reference Center), CRAS to define which families would receive the food basket and the secretary of agriculture would operate the whole process; however, there was no link between the secretariats to put the PAA into practice and then nothing came out of it, and the producers are pressing me

The interview’s excerpt above demonstrates a poor articulation between the different sectors to encourage the local food supply, and the improvement of access to food by the low purchasing power consumers residing in the municipality. Such aspects weaken the operationalization of the PAA and PNAE, policies that, in addition to targeting vulnerable people or school meals, promote local development and the appreciation of local family farmers [26,27]. In addition, they can contribute to developing more sustainable and healthy food systems and food setting.

On the other hand, cultural issues also favor the production of grains in the municipality, even if on a small scale, an aspect that links the local context to the current agro-food system. In this connection, one of the street market sellers explained that producers who make the decision to produce food such as horticultural products instead of grains will be culturally isolated, generating, to a certain extent, the exclusion of these producers from the social and cultural setting:

It’s the cultural issue too, when the farmer goes and is the only one producing fruits and vegetables, he goes to the community or in the Italian culture issue, he goes there to the church and will hear the other producers talking about what, everyone will be talking that is about soy and he wants to talk about vegetables, so he is culturally isolated

In view of this, even if the property characteristics are unfavorable for the production of grains like soybeans, farmers persist in the cultivation of grain crops, as stated below:

As much as the land, the size of properties does not support grain farming, the workforce does not support the grains, the machinery does not support the grains, the farmer will produce grains, because everyone is producing grains

In this connection, it is more advantageous for family farmers to produce grains such as soy, even on small farms. In fact, the production of grains, unlike fruits and vegetables, has market guarantees, a factor that generates security for the producer, as explained by the following statement by the farmer: if you produce soybeans, you are sure you will receive the money. This security in relation to the commercialization of other foods does not occur in the municipality, since no organization of the production chain is available and those who produce, produce in small quantities and cannot access markets for commercialization, because they produce insufficient quantities for a permanent supply.

Given this scenario and in line with Ribeiro Junior’s arguments [28], it is important that the municipality, besides encouraging public policies at the national level such as the PNAE and PAA, also strengthen and encourage family-based agriculture, production, supply and consumption of local and regional foods. Such initiatives may help to make healthier and more adequate food available, also contributing to the improvement of the local food setting. Finally, it should be noted that this survey intended to assess only the challenges for the fostering of healthier food environments in the municipality, leaving a gap. Thus, we suggest that further and complementary studies review the potential of the municipality to promote healthier food settings.