HIDDEN RISKS: AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE EFFECTIVENESS OF GOOD FOOD HANDLING PRACTICES IN SEASIDE RESTAURANTS IN THE CITY OF SÃO LUÍS – MA

Resumen

Food safety has become a topic of increasing importance in the field of public health, especially in regions with intense tourist activity, such as the city of São Luís, capital of the state of Maranhão. Given the need to guarantee consumer health and ensure the quality and maintenance of services in the local tourism sector, the objective is to identify potential hidden risks in food handling and storage processes, in addition to assessing the degree of compliance of these establishments with the criteria established by the legislation of the National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA). To this end, a checklist developed based on Resolution RDC No.216 (Brazil, 2004) was applied, document that regulates good practices for food services in Brazil. Thus, it was observed that an average of 65.5% of responses were positive, which, according to the adopted criteria, classifies the fifteen restaurants evaluated as having a regular level of GMP compliance. This allows us to conclude that there are good intentions and specific efforts on the part of the establishments, but also highlights the urgent need for structural improvements, ongoing training of food handlers, and greater rigor in the application of health protocols.