Segurança do alimento: características do programa de alimentação escolar no município de Piraí - RJ

Abstract

Considering that the hygienic and sanitary aspects are fundamental for the quality of food, and that The Brazilian National School Meal Program (PNAE) has the objective of offering safe food aiming for the correct and healthy feeding of students and that is the most important pillars of the National Program, it is extremely important to evaluate the quality of school feeding, not only because of its insertion in PNAE but mainly because the users represent a high percentage of the population on a stage of life which is considered vulnerable. Thus the monitoring of the quality of the school food was conducted in the town of Piraí – Rio de Janeiro regarding the hygienic and sanitary aspects, in a convenience sample of eight schools, divided into three phases: diagnostic, intervention and evaluation. At the first phase a diagnostic of the structural and operational situation was performed, through a check list, from April to June of 2009, at Municipal schools. The results showed that the material used on the floor and on the walls was appropriate in 62.5% and 75.0%, respectively. The floor was in good condition in 37.5% of the schools and the walls in 75% of the places. Nevertheless, there were neither milimetric screens in the openings nor device for the automatic closing of the doors at 95.0% of the kitchens which made the entrance of insects and rats easy. Concerning the equipment, 62.5% of them had an appropriate design but the temperature was not registered and monitored. Regarding the utensils, 25% of them have not met the requirements because its material was difficult to keep clean. Concerning the food handlers´ uniforms, 75% of them have not met the requirements. There were designated washbasins neither in the food handling areas nor in the restrooms. There was a lack of educational programs for food staff as well as its registration. Aiming the assessment of the hygienic and sanitary conditions in food handling, products listed on the schools daily menu were analyzed. Exposure temperatures were measured and samples of the cooked preparations ready for consumption as well as the cutting surfaces were collected and taken for microbiological analysis conducted in two phases, the first one in September 2009, before the intervention. The intervention occurred through the food handlers training from October to November of 2009, after the Research Ethics Committee approval, with the implementation of the Good Manufacturing Practices Manual and the Labor Daily Record. The second time the samples were collected was in November 2009 and the results obtained served to assess the impact of this intervention in December 2009. Concerning the results of the analysis, on the first phase 25% of the samples of cooked preparations ready for consumption do not conform to the standards, however, after the training, 100% of the samples conform to the standards. The cutting surfaces showed unacceptable contamination in 75% of the samples on the first phase, reducing to 25% after the intervention, which represents a significant reduction (p<0, 05). With regard to the exposure temperature, there was a significant improvement after the intervention. The availability of continuous training programs for food handlers as well as the adjustment of the structural and operational issues is suggested in order to fulfill the requirements proposed by PNAE regarding the hygienic-sanitary issues. It is expected that these results can contribute to the processes which aim to offer to the society, analysis which subsidize policies, especially in the food security context.