Conservative rhetoric regarding the regulation of the school food environment: the discussion of Bill 4198/2021 in the Parliament of Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

In view of the scientific evidence about the harmful effects on health of consuming ultra-processed foods, the regulation of food environments has been prioritized as a way of promoting adequate and healthy eating. In this context, bill 4198/2021 was proposed in the parliament of Rio de Janeiro, to ban the sale of ultra-processed foods in the schools in the state. In the second vote session of the proposition conservative rhetoric was widely used by the opposing congressman. In this essay, these positions were classified, finding common points between them, considering the analysis of the legislative process. In making this categorization, it was possible to identify three argumentative bases that were explored: the defense of freedom of commerce; the right to a “family homeland,” the primacy of the family in children’s education; and individual responsibility for obesity. These rhetorics have been analyzed together with their counterpoint, in the conclusions of the specialized literature. Beyond the plurality of ideas in the legislative debate, it was possible to identify how the discussion of bill 4198/21 was permeated by the reproduction of disinformation and violence. In this way, the scrutiny of the conservative rhetoric used and the understanding of the context of this discussion are contributions proposed here to consolidate the repertoire of defense of the health of children and adolescents.