Profile of inspectors and protocols applied to imported food in inspections stations

Abstract

To characterize food inspection agents, facilities and protocols in the importation of food, a questionnaire was applied to agents at six Mexico's entry ports, 91 (76%) agents returned complete questionnaires. Data analysis was by χ2. Over 80% of agents had bachelor's degree; 75% with two or less years on the job; 81%, 35 years old or younger; and, 52 to 79% examined other products besides food of animal origin. Over 60% of the agents took more than 20 minutes for document and shipment inspections and 10% run their inspections at temperatures above the recommended for food conservation with 33% of them unaware of the negative consequences in food safety when breaking food cold chain at the inspection process. Six sources of food cold chain break while under inspection were identified. Agents require further training on maintenance and importance of food cold chain and protocols should be improved. Practical applications The core of this study is to provide a discussion of the profile of Mexican food inspectors, facilities, and implementation of inspection protocols related to the maintenance of the food cold chain, to define a baseline upon which the need of training on specific strategies of shipment handling to keep food safety and quality.