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Background Little is known about the risk to patients’ health when using home‐prepared enteral tube feeding. The objective of this study was to explore the differences in hygiene conditions and microbial load of different types of home‐prepared enteral tube feeding and explore associations between those differences and food handlers’ characteristics. Methods We evaluated 96 enteral formulations, considering 3 types used by adult patients: homemade enteral preparations (HEPs), blended enteral preparations (BEPs), and commercial enteral formulas (CEFs). Enteral formulations were collected from homes and microbiologically analyzed. Hygiene criteria were assessed using a checklist, applied during the handling stages. The profile of the food handler was reviewed using a questionnaire. Results 82.3% (79/96) exceeded acceptable bacterial counts, which was 10³ colony‐forming units per gram for aerobic mesophilic microorganisms and for total coliforms (35 °C), Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus sp, and Staphylococcus coagulase‐positive, if present in the enteral formulations. The number of inadequate samples was higher in HEPs and BEPs than in CEFs. Considering the hygiene criteria, the home‐prepared enteral tube feedings did not differ significantly. There was a significant difference among hygiene conditions considering the variables “monthly family income” and “food training.” Conclusion Regardless of the type of enteral formulations used by patients, when handled at home, there was a risk of contamination. However, contaminants present in enteral formulations can be easily controlled with improvements in hygiene measures as well as with greater guidance and control during the handling stages.

ABSTRACT Objective This investigation evaluated the use of food labels and consumers’ perception of the reliability of food labels nutritional information. Methods This is a transversal exploratory quantitative investigation, carried out in Curitiba, Brazil. A total of 536 students from a public institution participated in the survey answering a structured questionnaire. Descriptive analyses, Chi-Square test and Fisher’s exact test were performed considering a significance level of 5%. Results The participants’ mean age was 21.11±2.83 years, and 59.3% were female. It was noticed that 41.6% of consumers used the nutritional information sometimes and 14.7% always, mainly because they liked to know what they were buying and consuming (35.8%). Lack of patience (29.5%) and concern about the composition of the food purchased (34.2%) were the main reasons for not using the information provided. The most commonly used nutrition claim was “trans fat-free” (42.5%) and the type of food in which nutrition labeling was used most was milk and dairy products (42.0%). Frequent use of nutritional information was higher among women (p<0.01) and among those who practice physical activity (p=0.04). Many individuals relied on food labels nutritional information (61.9%), but out of these, 43.6% did not use that information at the time of purchase. There was no difference between respondents’ confidence in the information, sociodemographic and health data. Conclusion Many people still do not use the label nutrition information. Efforts should be made to change this scenario. Changes in nutrition labeling can help modify this situation, with the use of clearer label information, more easily understood, that does not raise any doubts in the consumers’ mind.

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The objective of this study was to evaluate the hygienic-sanitary conditions of hospital nutrition services according to internal and external auditors, before and after intervention, based on the requirements of Good Hygiene Practices. Fifteen hospital nutrition services were evaluated based on a checklist applied by internal auditors and by an external auditor. The intervention program was prepared and implemented in all the locations over one year, and was composed of four points: 1) training; 2) preparation of the action plan; 3) preparation of the documentation; 4) monthly visits to motivate the food handlers and responsible technicians, accompaniment and assistance in the implementation of Good Hygiene Practices. An improvment in the application of Good Hygiene Practices was observed in the hospital nutrition services after the systematic intervention, in the view of both the internal and external auditors, except the requirement related to operational aspects, which had a low percentage of adequacy, both before and after the intervention Before the intervention, there was a significant difference between the evaluation of the internal auditors and the external auditor, which was not found later. These results suggest that the systematic intervention assisted in the adoption of Good Hygiene Practices by hospital nutrition services, according to both the internal and external auditors, and contributed to increasing the knowledge of the internal auditors.

A B S T R A C TThe article aimed at identifying and discussing scientific evidences on the benefits and risks of fish consumption the human health. There was a systematic survey for articles published from 2003 and May 2011, at the MedLine, Scopus, SciELO, Lilacs and Google Scholar databases. The key words used were: fish, food intake, omega-3 fatty acids, fatty fish, benefits, risk, and consumption. The search produced 12,632 articles, 25 eligible cohort studies on possible benefits, 61 on risks and 10 studies that assessed the "risk/benefit" relation. Of the 25 works, 14 suggested a preventive effect of fish consumption related to cardiovascular diseases, depression, cataract and some types of cancer. Evidences of a relation between exposure to mercury and an increase in the risk of neurological disorders, but not of cardiovascular diseases, were also found. Given the importance of fish consumption, its possible risks and the lack of Brazilian studies on the topic, it is important to conduct more longitudinal studies that assess both the benefits and risks of fish consumption for the human health. We also emphasize the need for policies to reduce exposure of fish and seafood to mercury and other contaminants.Indexing terms: Fishs. Food consumption. Health. Risk. R E S U M O I N T R O D U C T I O NFishes are rich in essential fatty acids, as well as in iron, vitamin B 12 and calcium. Fish consumption is recommended by The American Cancer Society and the American Heart Association (AHA) at least two times a week 1,2 .Brazil has great potential for fish farming due to its extensive maritime coast and continental waters, together with the possibility of consumption of great variety of species 2 . Not with standing that, fish consumption in Brazil dropped considerably in recent years 3,4 .Some studies have demonstrated the health benefits of fish consumption thanks to the correlation between omega-3 fatty acids and a decrease in the incidence of coronary heart diseases 5-10 , depression 11,12 , stroke 13 , blood pressure 5,14 , glycemic index 14 , triglycerides 5 , cancer 15,16 and others. On the other hand, researches could also quantify levels of fish contamination in 17 fish and check possible risks linked to its consumption, such as contamination by heavy metals, organochlorine pollutants and dioxins [17][18][19][20] .With the incentive to fish consumption and a current discussion on its benefits and risks 21,22 , seconded by a lack of scientific studies with clear conclusions about contamination, it is imperative that literature about risks and benefits of fish consumption is reviewed, especially in Brazil. Moreover, in the searches performed, no critical reviews on the subject were found. Therefore, this article aimed at identifying and discussing scientific evidences on the benefits and risks of fish consumption for the human health. M E T H O D SThe study was designed to answer a guiding question: what are the scientific evidences on benefits and risks of fish consumption for the human health? The methodo...

This study evaluated the implementation of good hygiene practices in food trucks with and without the intervention of a food safety expert. Fifty‐three food trucks were divided into control group and intervention group. The study was carried out in three stages: (a) evaluation of good hygiene practices in both groups through a list of categories and development of an action plan; (b) participation of a food safety expert in the intervention group; and (c) second assessment of good hygiene practices in both groups. At the latter stage, both groups showed significant improvements on average. The intervention group presented greater progress in the last evaluation, with significantly higher adequacy percentages (p < 0.05) in all categories evaluated. The control group showed improvement in only 50% of the categories. These results revealed the importance of food safety experts in the implementation of hygiene practices in foodservices. Practical applications The aim of this work was to evaluate the implementation of good hygiene practices in food trucks with and without the intervention of a food safety expert. Compliance to hygiene practices increased significantly when food safety consultants participated in the program. The results presented here contribute to raising awareness among food truck owners and staff on the importance of investing in food safety experts to ensure an effective implementation of good hygiene practices and accordingly reduce contamination risks in these establishments.