[Compliance with guidelines by state plans for food and nutritional security in Brazil].

A descriptive and documental study was performed from August to October 2016 to analyze compliance by state plans for food and nutritional security (PlanSAN) with the guidelines set by the Brazilian National Policy for Food and Nutritional Security (PNSAN). The state plans were accessed via the websites of the Inter-Ministerial Chamber for Food and Nutritional Security (CAISAN) or the state governments, plus complementary data collection at the state level. All the states of Brazil joined the National System for Food and Nutritional Security (SISAN), while fewer than half (13 states, 48%) had drafted their plans. Of these, 5 (38%) of the PlanSAN had schedules that coincided with the same state's pluriannual plan, 5 (38%) of the PlanSAN specified the budget requirements for meeting the proposed targets, 7 (54%) specified mechanisms for monitoring the plan, and only 2 (15%) defined methodologies for monitoring food and nutritional security. The recent existence of (and adherence to) the CAISAN appear to be related to the lack of state plans in half the states. Although most of the states that did have plans met some of the guidelines laid out by the PNSAN, these mechanisms become weak and impractical when they lack earmarked budget funds to meet their targets. Since the PNSAN is structurally inter-sectorial, the development of plans requires collective work by various government departments. Importantly, the items analyzed here are all guidelines, which implies the need for mechanisms to monitor their actual implementation.