Proposta de implementação de um sistema de segurança de alimentos em restaurantes comerciais do tipo self-service

Abstract

Self-service restaurants have difficulty to operate in accordance to legal requirements or to consumer demands for providing quality and safe food. Managers and food service professionals have searched models and experiences that provide a better knowledge of the organizations dynamics with the same profile and their own possibilities of performance. This work has the aim of providing a contribution to the food service companies in food safety management, and proposing a methodology in order to implement a food safety system organized and supported in the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points.The relevance of this proposal is related to the fact that food safety should be seen as a macroscopic matter and the introduction of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points must occur in the whole food handling process. To accomplish this work was used a research strategy for a descriptive and holistic unic case study in a restaurant conveniently chosen in Rio de Janeiro City. The evidence collection was achieved through a check-list formulary based on Good Manufacturing Practice and and an interview. Collected data from check-list form and from the interview with managers were treated qualitatively and those from the interview with food handlers were processed statistically in order to study their perception about safe food versus some other proposed matters. Results have shown that necessary investments to guarantee safe food providing should be focused on formation of managers of the units of food and nutrition within quality tools in management on food safety to set up strategic plans in the food safety basic principle according to legislation of safe food in the microbiology principle and Good Manufacturing Practice, in addition to the units adequacy to Good Manufacturing Practice requirements, qualification of food handlers for a staff management with motivation and effective performance. This study has identified the following control critical points in a food service unit: storage temperature control, cooking and distribution temperature, leftovers, hygiene and cleanliness process, and bad management of staff.