What I’m Working on Now in Spain
FEAS examines how food traders and store owners influence the food choices available to children and adolescents, both within schools and in their surrounding neighborhoods. While most studies have focused on students, parents, and teachers, this project highlights the voices of vendors — a group often overlooked in previous research.
The study is being conducted in Madrid and Bilbao, Spain. Through in-depth interviews, we listen to food traders and store owners to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges they face and the opportunities for creating healthier school food environments.
Findings will be shared with regulatory bodies, institutions, and organizations to support public policies that encourage healthier choices for children and adolescents.
Timeline
- Nov–Dec 2024: Development of the interview guide with expert input
- Mar 2025: Pilot study
- Mar–Jul 2025: Fieldwork — walking 633 km, spending 208 hours in the field, and conducting 41 hours of interviews
- Aug 2025 – ongoing: Data analysis
This project is funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 101034371. Professor Jesús Rivera Navarro supervises it at the University of Salamanca.
My project logo tells a story
On the left, the apple represents healthy eating. On the right, the burger — a symbol of fast food — represents unhealthy choices.
The arrow at the top indicates the direction our food environment has been moving for years: from fresh and nourishing foods toward processed and less healthy options.
But the arrow at the bottom is the key. It points in the opposite direction, reminding us that change is possible. We can — and should — create a food environment around schools that encourages healthier, more balanced choices.
This is precisely what FEAS (Food Environment Around Schools) is about: understanding the problem and working together to find solutions that support the health of children and adolescents.
What I’ve worked on before in Brazil
2022 – 2024. Status of Phytotherapy as an Integrative and Complementary Health Practice (PICS) in Dourados-MS
2022 – 2024. Collaborative actions for monitoring the labelling of packaged foods, carried out by the Food Labelling Observatory
2021 – 2024. Development, production, and analysis of products incorporating unconventional food plants (PANC) for promoting nutrition and human health
2019 – 2024. Self-perception of body image of members of the UFGD academic community
2015 – 2024. Research related to the Food Guide for the Brazilian Population
2015 – 2021. Modes of eating: in the voice of social actors from UFGD
