Comércio ambulante de alimentos: condições higiênico-sanitárias nos pontos de vendas em Inhumas-GO

Abstract

The street food business represents an alternative source of income and has contributed significantly to poverty reduction in many developing countries. However, there are significant reports of health problems associated with increased consumption of these foods. The food outlets on the streets make them accessible to the population, as they are strategically located in places with high mobility of people and because they offer diversified goods at low prices. However, this practical alternative of consumption can be an important source of transmission of food-borne diseases, incurring risks to human health, due to the lack of knowledge on the part of the handlers of adequate production techniques, in addition to the precarious conditions of the infrastructure of the place. Faced with the potential danger that this type of trade has aroused, this proposal aimed to carry out a diagnosis of the hygienic-sanitary conditions of informal food trades and to raise the profile of handlers in the city of Inhumas-GO. According to the results obtained, it was observed that the handling items, raw materials, ingredients, packaging and waste presented the highest values of non-conformities, being 65,1%, 52,4% and 42,9% respectively. The microbiological analysis evidenced 87,5% of the samples with countless colonies of mesophilic aerobic microorganisms. For total coliforms there was growth in 25% of the samples, with values between 1,6 x 10 1 CFU/mL and 8,4 x 10 1 CFU/mL. Escherichia coli growth was observed in 12,5% of the samples (3 CFU/mL). As an intervention measure to improve hygienic-sanitary conditions, a booklet on good food handling practices was prepared, delivered and explained to street vendors.