Changes in food and meal vouchers seek to give users more autonomy over these benefits of the new PAT
O world of work is changing quickly. Today it is more common to hear about hybrid work, which is divided between the company headquarters and the home office. As a result, many people who previously ate lunch in restaurants during office hours, during the pandemic began to eat more at home, ordering delivery or shopping at the market.
A updating labor standards comes, naturally, in the wake of these changes. An example of this is that in November 2021 the federal government approved a simplification of labor rules, what modernized the PAT (Worker’s Food Program).
This reformulation of the program will allow for greater competition in the market for offering meal and food vouchers, which iFood entered in 2021. This came with the creation of iFood Benefits (which combines both types of vouchers on the same card and allows users to choose how much they want to spend on each of them).
“It was a change built with the participation of several companies in the public consultation. The new PAT is an important milestone because it creates a more competitive market”, comments Paula Rabelo, growth director at iFood Benefícios. “In a competitive market, whoever has the best solution wins, that is, at the end of the day, it is the workers who win.”
More autonomy for workers
With the new rules, workers gain more autonomy in choosing food and meal vouchers. This will suit restaurants and markets that are close to home or work (or that serve your favorite dishes).
This is because the new law establishes portability. In other words, from June 2023, employees of a company will be able to choose the voucher flag they want to use. Furthermore, they will not necessarily need to adhere to the one offered by the company, as was the case before.
Furthermore, the benefit can now be used in establishments such as food trucks and restaurants that only serve delivery (or dark kitchens).
“The main advance of the so-called new PAT was to refocus the program on workers”, says Rodolfo Araújo, head of legal and tax at iFood. “If we want to improve workers’ experience, we have to give them greater choice, ensuring they can access and purchase the food that best meets their needs.”
He explains that the new standard opens up space for flexible food and meal voucher solutions, allowing people to choose the best way to eat, depending on where they are: at home, at the office or even in another city.
“When we talk about flexibility in iFood Benefits, we mean giving workers freedom of choice within the food possibilities they have and which are within the scope of the PAT”, concludes Fernanda Pascale, head of regulatory affairs at iFood. “This does not include the possibility of the worker using balances received as PAT benefits in other areas, such as fuel, cell phones, gyms or culture.”
Quick read: what changes with the new PAT
Understand some important points of the new PAT:
More freedom of choice
The new rules define that workers will be able to choose the brand of food and meal vouchers under which they receive their monthly credits. Portability should come into force 18 months after the decree — that is, in June 2023. Currently, everyone receives vouchers under the brand chosen by the company they work for.
Card accepted in more places
Meal vouchers are now also accepted at food trucks and restaurants that only serve delivery, calls dark kitchens. What changes is that, before the new PAT, the number of seats in a restaurant was one of the criteria taken into account by the government to include an establishment in the PAT.
Focus on food security
Companies that are beneficiaries of PAT will have to implement programs dedicated to promoting and monitoring employee health and improve your food security and nutritional.
