WHEN SCIENCE AND POLITICS LISTEN TO EACH OTHER - GOOD PROSPECTS FROM A NEW SCHOOL BREAKFAST PROGRAM IN PERU

This article provides an overview of a school breakfast program implem ented in 1993 in the Peruvian Andes. The program, designed by the Inst itute de Investigacion Nutricional in Lima and supported by the govern ment of Peru, constitutes a clear departure from previous school feedi ng programs, which were heavily politicized and poorly documented. Fro m the program's inception, nutritionists, managers, and social scienti sts have collaborated to produce a sound nutritional design, efficient distribution mechanisms, and effective evaluation methods. During the program's first year, controlled evaluations conducted in several And ean regions documented improved dietary intake and a significant decli ne in the prevalence of anemia. An educational evaluation also found i mproved verbal skills, higher school attendance, and lower dropout rat es among recipients of the school breakfast. The results have prompted the Peruvian government to continue supporting the program, thus sett ing a new standard for the effective management of social expenditure in the context of economic adjustment.