FOOD HYGIENE PRACTICES AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS AMONG FOOD MANIPULATORS IN FOOD AND NUTRITION UNITS

Abstract

The Food and Nutrition Units (UANs) are places belonging to the food sector outside the home, regardless of whether they are connected to commercial locations or not. With the greater frequency of food consumption outside the home, there is a concern about the health of consumers, as food is considered a vector of disease and can be contaminated at different stages. The objective of this research was to identify the level of knowledge of food hygiene practices of food handlers and their associated factors among food handling in FNUs. It is an integrative review. The electronic databases used were: Pubmed, Scielo and Lilacs, in April 2021. The descriptors with utilities in Portuguese and English were used: Food safety; food hygiene; food handlers. Eligibility criteria were adopted for articles published in the last six years, in Portuguese and English, referring to the theme. 66 articles were found and after applying the inclusion criteria, 10 articles remained. It was noticed that most handlers are performing their role inappropriately. The authors associated that this negative practice goes beyond the knowledge deficit of the handlers, as well as the hygienic sanitary conditions of the places. These problems are greater in underdeveloped countries, as they have low social indicators. These indicators take into account health, education and nutrition. The results demonstrate that it is essential that the FNUs offer adequate training to handlers with safety measures in food production and adopt the correct use of good hygiene practices in the workplace.