Inadequacies in Good Manufacturing Practices and High Health Risks are Still Problems in Food Production in Public Preschools and Daycares in Rio Branco, Acre, Western Brazilian Amazonia

Abstract

Citation ABSTRACTBackground/Objectives: In Brazil, the National Program of School Feeding (PNAE), was created with the objective of meeting the nutritional needs of students, guaranteeing the adequate growth and development of children, and assuring quality sanitation of the food offered. With the intent to guarantee a high level of sanitation of the food offered in the educational field, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) were also instituted. The objective of this study was to evaluate the GMPs employed to produce the food offered in the Rio Branco -AC school system's daycares and pre-schools. Methods: The study was undertaken in 15 schools and 6 public daycares, corresponding with 50% of the total number of schools that admit preschoolers. A "List of Verification of Good Practices in School Feeding and Nutrition" was employed, and a final score was obtained for each school, through which the school was classified by the degree of health risk that it presented. Results: In the 21 schools studied, inadequacies in all analyzed criteria were observed. When classified according to general health risks, 81% of the schools presented moderate health risks and 19% presented high health risks. The most scrutinized criteria were "Controlled Temperature Equipment,""Buildings and Installations,""Processes and Production," and "Sanitation of the Environment." The main problems detected were related to inadequate sanitation of the hands (90.48%) on the part of the food handlers; the absence of mandatory Good Practices and Standard Operational Procedures Manual (POP) (100%), and the absence of fans in the production area (95.24%). Conclusions:The main problems identified in the evaluated school feeding production units were related to inadequate physical unit structures and the incorrect handling of the foods on the part of those involved in the production process. Therefore, the importance of continued training about Good Fabrication Practices (BPFs), the presence of nutritionists in sufficient numbers during the production process, and a restructuring of the physical space within the food production units need to be highlighted.

Assessment of high school learners’ familiarity with nutrition education principles

“…Learners who lacked the basic knowledge of nutrition education were significantly disadvantaged through the absence of posters and other informative guidelines on nutrition and healthy eating. Contrary to the observation in this study, research conducted in South Africa [29] and Ghana [5] revealed that posters were used to promote a healthy lifestyle. The survey by in South Africa [29] was carried out in primary schools, while this current study focused on high school learners where the nutrition programme was introduced later (between 2010 and 2012).…”

“…Contrary to the observation in this study, research conducted in South Africa [29] and Ghana [5] revealed that posters were used to promote a healthy lifestyle. The survey by in South Africa [29] was carried out in primary schools, while this current study focused on high school learners where the nutrition programme was introduced later (between 2010 and 2012). Primary school learners often spend the whole day in one class with few or no rotation of teachers making it easier to maintain charts, while in secondary schools, learners sometimes change classes making it difficult to own and maintain charts pinned to the walls in their classrooms.…”

Challenges Encountered in a South African School Nutrition Programme

“…In Brazil, as well as Ghana, poor sanitation in the school nutrition programmes was a challenge. 8 , 11 , 29…”

“…In Brazil, as well as Ghana, poor sanitation in the school nutrition programmes was a challenge. 8,11,29 This study focused on a small geographical area in one province of South Africa which uses a centralised procurement model. This limits the generalisation of the results.…”

“…Poor sanitation was also observed as a challenge in the school nutrition programmes in Brazil. 11 The school feeding programme in the State of Osun in Nigeria, has the challenge of providing rigid meals, due to the seasonal availability of food which compromises the quality, as well as the quantity of food. 12 Price increases, due to the change in seasons, determine the availability of food.…”