A segurança dos alimentos nos Centros de Tradições Gaúchas do Rio Grande do Sul / Food safety in the Centros de Tradições Gaúchas of Rio Grande do Sul

Os Centros de Tradições Gaúchas (CTG) são entidades de divulgação e perpetuação da cultura do Rio Grande do Sul. A produção de refeições nessas entidades ocorre nos ensaios dos grupos de danças tradicionais e nos eventos oferecidos à comunidade, como jantares. Sabendo do impacto das doenças transmitidas por alimentos (DTA) na saúde humana, o objetivo deste trabalho é identificar a adequação dos CTG às boas práticas para manipulação de alimentos (BPM), explorar quem são os responsáveis pelas atividades de manipulação de alimentos e identificar a frequência e o número da produção de refeições servidas nessas instituições. A Portaria SES-RS nº 78/2009 e um questionário de coleta de dados dos grupos de dança e da produção de refeições foram aplicados em 5 CTG do Rio Grande do Sul. Outros 17 CTG do estado responderam a um segundo questionário, semelhante ao primeiro, com adição de perguntas sobre controle sanitário. Obteve-se uma média de adequação às BPM de 38% entre os CTG. Verificou-se que são servidas, em média, 4 refeições por semana entre os ensaios das invernadas artísticas próximos a competições. Em 36% dos CTG, ocorrem de 2 a 3 eventos por trimestre com produção de refeições. Em 45% dos CTG, são servidas de 100 a 200 pessoas nos eventos. Em relação aos trabalhos na cozinha, apenas 23,5% dos CTG têm como responsáveis dessas atividades pessoas devidamente capacitadas. Sendo os CTG instituições sem fins lucrativos, a criação de programas para a garantia do alimento seguro nesses espaços se faz necessária.

Centros de Tradições Gaúchas (CTG) are entities for the dissemination and perpetuation of Rio Grande do Sul culture. The production of meals in these entities takes place in the rehearsals of traditional dance groups and in events offered to the community, such as dinners. Knowing the impact of the foodborne diseases in human health, the objective of this work is to identify the adequacy of CTG to good food handling practices, to explore who are responsibles for food handling activities and identify the frequency and number of meals served in these institutions. The Portaria SES-RS No. 78/2009 and a questionnaire for data collection from dance groups and meals production were applied in 5 CTG in Rio Grande do Sul. Another 17 CTG in the state answered a second questionnaire, similar to the first, with the addition of questions about sanitary control. The average compliance with good practices was 38% among the CTG. It was found that, on average, 4 meals are served per week between rehearsals of the dance groups close to competitions. In 36% of the CTG, 2 to 3 events are held per quarter with production of meals. In 45% of the CTG, the number of people served at the events varies from 100 to 200. Regarding the work in the kitchen, only 23.5% of the CTG have duly trained people for these activities. Given that CTG are non-profit institutions, the creation of programs to ensure food safety in these spaces is necessary.

Applications of a vacuum-actuated multi-material hybrid soft gripper: lessons learnt from RoboSoft manipulation challenge.

Soft grippers are garnering increasing attention for their adeptness in conforming to diverse objects, particularly delicate items, without warranting precise force control. This attribute proves especially beneficial in unstructured environments and dynamic tasks such as food handling. Human hands, owing to their elevated dexterity and precise motor control, exhibit the ability to delicately manipulate complex food items, such as small or fragile objects, by dynamically adjusting their grasping configurations. Furthermore, with their rich sensory receptors and hand-eye coordination that provide valuable information involving the texture and form factor, real-time adjustments to avoid damage or spill during food handling appear seamless. Despite numerous endeavors to replicate these capabilities through robotic solutions involving soft grippers, matching human performance remains a formidable engineering challenge. Robotic competitions serve as an invaluable platform for pushing the boundaries of manipulation capabilities, simultaneously offering insights into the adoption of these solutions across diverse domains, including food handling. Serving as a proxy for the future transition of robotic solutions from the laboratory to the market, these competitions simulate real-world challenges. Since 2021, our research group has actively participated in RoboSoft competitions, securing victories in the Manipulation track in 2022 and 2023. Our success was propelled by the utilization of a modified iteration of our Retractable Nails Soft Gripper (RNSG), tailored to meet the specific requirements of each task. The integration of sensors and collaborative manipulators further enhanced the gripper's performance, facilitating the seamless execution of complex grasping tasks associated with food handling. This article encapsulates the experiential insights gained during the application of our highly versatile soft gripper in these competition environments.

Evaluating levels of knowledge and food safety practices among food handlers in the Southern part of Italy.

The purpose of the present study is to assess the extent of knowledge and food safety practices among food handlers (FHs) to prevent food risks. This cross-sectional study was conducted between July 2021 and February 2022 in a random sample of FHs working in three regions of the Southern part of Italy. A two-stage cluster random sampling strategy was used to select FHs working at food businesses in the Regions. Data were collected through an anonymous self-administered questionnaire that consisted of 33 questions grouped into five sections to gather sociodemographic and professional characteristics, knowledge about foodborne illnesses (FBIs) and food safety, adherence to proper food handling practices and sources of information. The overall median knowledge score was 8 (interquartile range 6-9), but only 2.2 % of the respondents answered all 12 statements correctly. Among the recruited FHs, 71.2 % and 65.4 % reported always keeping raw and cooked food separate and using different utensils while handling raw and cooked foods, respectively. With respect to the use of personal protective equipments, 79.3 % and 67.6 % stated always wear work clothing and hair restrain (e.g., hats, hairnets), respectively. Just 20.9 % of the FHs properly defrosted food (i.e., in the fridge) and 39.9 % used food warmers for keeping food at least at 65 °C while waiting for service. The findings highlighted poor knowledge concerning the ideal temperatures for cooking, holding and storing foods, exacerbated by poor personal and hand hygiene, certain factors associated with the spread of foodborne pathogens.

Effects of health educational and participatory consumer group interventions in improving food handling practices in regional director of health services area Kalutara, Sri Lanka: non-randomized controlled community trial.

INTRODUCTION: Safe and nutritious food is the key to sustaining life and promoting good health. Unsafe food creates a vicious cycle of disease and malnutrition, particularly affecting infants, young children, the elderly, and the sick. METHODS: The study consisted of two phases, a descriptive cross-sectional study, and an intervention study. Both studies were conducted in the Regional Director of Health Services area, Kalutara, Sri Lanka. The descriptive cross-sectional study [food handlers (n = 904), food establishments (n = 421)] was conducted with the objective of determining factors associated with food handling practices among food handlers and in food establishments. The interventional study was a three-arm non-randomized controlled community trial (n = 50 per arm) with interventions of a participatory consumer group, educational package group, and control group. RESULTS: The food establishments assessment tool (FEAT) contained 11 domains including 75 items with more than a hundred assessment points with a guide to conduct an assessment of food handling. The descriptive cross-sectional study found that food handlers' knowledge of food handling practices of storing milk, fish, and meat and fast-food items containing fish and meat was very poor (96.6%). Visibility of the last place of processing inside the food establishments to consumers was inadequate (19.2%) and the absence of the above-mentioned factor was significantly associated with an unsatisfactory level of food handling score in food establishments (p = 0.03). The unsatisfactory level of food handling was significantly higher among food establishments with non-personal ownership (p = 0.005), a low number of notices issued by legal authorities (p = 0.02), dereliction of duty by owners/managers on supervising (p < 0.001) and lack of medical certification to food handlers (p < 0.0001). Participatory consumer group intervention and educational package interventions were effective in improving food handling practices in food establishments and among food handlers (p < 0.0001). Two independent sample analysis using the Mann-Whitney U test showed, the best improvement in food handling practices was by participatory consumer group intervention (p < 0.0001) and the second was educational package intervention (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Knowledge and practices of food handling among participants were poor. A participatory consumer group is more effective than an educational package on improving food handling practices both among food handlers and in food establishments.

Assessment of the risk of contamination of enteral nutrition bottles based on the simulation of home use conditions and hygiene procedures.

BACKGROUND: Home-prepared enteral formulations are supplied to patients through enteral nutrition bottles, via a gravity bag or other container, which may be inadequately sanitized and reused more times than recommended by the manufacturer. Such procedures increase the risk of contamination and can compromise the patient's clinical outcome. In light of this, the present study aimed to assess the risk of contamination of enteral nutrition bottles by simulating home use conditions and hygiene procedures. METHODS: A simulation of bottle usage was conducted across the three categories of enteral nutrition (homemade enteral preparations, blended enteral preparations, and commercial enteral formulas) for 3 days, using three hygiene procedures reported by caregivers: use of detergent (DET); use of detergent and boiling water (DET+BW); and use of detergent and bleach (DET+BL). The microbiological contamination was determined by the analysis of aerobic mesophilic microorganisms. RESULTS: The bottles that were used for 3 days, regardless of the enteral nutrition category, were within the acceptable limit for aerobic mesophilic microorganisms (between <4 and 8.0 colony-forming units [CFU]/cm2) when sanitized using the DET+BW and DET+BL procedures. The enteral nutrition bottles, when cleaned using the DET procedure during the 3 days of usage, showed low microbial contamination (between <4 and 3.0 CFU/cm2) in blended preparation and commercial formula only. CONCLUSION: Thus, regardless of the enteral nutrition category, we found that the bottles can be used for 3 days, as long as the DET+BW or DET+BL hygiene procedure is applied and safe food handling measures are adopted.

Evaluation of Food Safety Knowledge and Attitudes Among Adults in the United Arab Emirates.

Background Food is handled by many individuals in large food setups, therefore increasing the chance of contamination that leads to foodborne diseases (FBDs). This study was purposed to evaluate adults' understanding of food safety, FBDs, and hygiene practices across various demographic groups in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and to explore the link between their knowledge of food safety and their corresponding attitudes. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted with 402 adults using a validated, self-administered questionnaire available in both printed and online formats. The study was carried out at Gulf Medical University and Thumbay hospitals and clinics over six months, beginning in December 2022 to June 2023. Data analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 26.0 (Released 2019; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, United States). The chi-squared test was employed to examine the association between variables, and significant associations were further analyzed through logistic regression. Results Out of the 402 participants, the population was predominantly female 275 (67.9%), and from Southeast Asia 222 (55.4%), with students comprising the largest occupational group 186 (47%). Only 106 (26.36%) had received food safety training, and a mere 187 (46.51%) demonstrated adequate knowledge. Awareness levels varied, with the highest for raw food safety (64.02%) and the lowest for canned foods (40.79%). Demographic analysis revealed significant associations: males exhibited more inadequate knowledge 79 (62.2%) than females 136 (49.4%), and students showed higher inadequacy 104 (55.9%) compared to healthcare workers 31 (35.6%). Positive attitudes towards food safety were prevalent 226 (56.2%), and positive attitudes were found in women 157 (57.1%), individuals above 30 years of age 110 (50.5%), individuals working in healthcare 140 (62%), and married individuals 117 (60.9%). With a strong correlation (p<0.001), women were 1.68 times more likely to possess adequate knowledge than men (95% CI: 1.09, 2.59), and healthcare workers were 2.33 times more likely than students (95% CI: 1.37, 3.95). Conclusion The study reveals a low level of knowledge about food safety among adults in the UAE. Therefore, emphasis should be placed on increasing awareness of these concepts to reduce the burden of FBDs on the healthcare system.

Development of educational package and participatory consumer groups to improve food handling practices in food establishments in Sri Lanka.

Objectives: Improper food handling contributes to many foodborne diseases and food outbreaks globally leading to witnessed morbidities and mortalities. The study aims to develop an educational package and participatory consumer groups to improve food handling practices among food handlers and in food establishments in the Regional Director of Health Services area, Kalutara, Sri Lanka. Methods: The study developed an educational package and participatory consumer groups to improve the food handling practices among food handlers and in food establishments. The critical knowledge gaps were identified during the first component of this study, which was conducted as a descriptive study, and the findings were further discussed in the Focus Group Discussion. Posters, info sheets, and workshops were used for educational packages, and four consumer groups were formed. The second component of the study following the development of the interventions was continued as a three-arm, non-randomized controlled community trial for 4 months in the Regional Director of Health Services, Kalutara. Results: The educational package for food handlers was introduced as a package of a workshop, info sheets, posters to display at workplaces, and short refresher training two weekly to direct good food handling practices in food establishments. Consumer groups were strengthened to exercise their legal rights on their purchases and the ratings showed improvements in the hygiene levels with repeated consecutive visits. Conclusions: The novel educational package and participatory consumer groups are designed and implemented to improve food handling practices among food handlers and in food establishments.

The Knowledge and Practices Toward Food Safety Measures at Home in the Lebanese Community.

Hygienic measures practiced at home are highly related to the occurrence of food-borne diseases during food production, storage, and handling. Contaminated food remains a major cause of several diarrheal diseases, hospitalizations, and spikes in medical expenses. In our current study, we aimed to assess the knowledge of food safety and the food safety and hygiene practices at home among the Lebanese population. A cross-sectional study was conducted through an online questionnaire including two sections. The first section included socio-demographic characteristics of participants, whereas the second section included questions related to practices and knowledge about food safety, divided into five parts; personal hygiene practices, dry and cold storage, sanitizing and cleaning and food intoxication. A total of 1101 Lebanese above 18 years participated and provided their responses to the questionnaire. Overall, the majority of participants had fair knowledge about food safety where 96.8% of the participants answered correctly about preventing microbial growth on food. 77.9% of those participants acquired their knowledge about food safety from articles, workshops, or the internet. Moreover, females, people with children and those who cook for themselves scored significantly higher than others (68.8, 70.6, and 70%, respectively). In comparison to younger participants (67.8%), older participants (50+ and 30-49) scored higher at 69.7% and 68.9%, respectively. Higher scores were obtained for questions related to storing dried foods/meat and poultry products with percentages 91.4 and 87.8%, respectively. However, lower scores were noticed on questions related to washing raw chicken before handling and storing eggs (9.7 and 12.3%, respectively). Altogether, our results revealed the need for directed food safety awareness campaigns at the national level to educate the Lebanese community about domestic food handling practices. We believe these campaigns can significantly reduce related diseases and hospitalizations.

Risk factors associated with food consumption and food-handling habits for sporadic listeriosis: a case-control study in China from 2013 to 2022.

The prevalence of listeriosis in China has been increasing in recent years. Listeriosis primarily spreads through contaminated food. However, the resilient causative organism, Listeria monocytogenes, and its extended incubation period pose challenges in identifying risk factors associated with food consumption and food-handling habits. This study aimed to identify the risk factors associated with food consumption and food-handling habits for listeriosis in China. A matched case-control study (1:1 ratio) was conducted, which enrolled all eligible cases of listeriosis between 1 January 2013 and 31 December 2022 in China. Basic information and possible risk factors associated with food consumption and food-handling habits were collected. Overall, 359 patients were enrolled, including 208 perinatal and 151 non-perinatal cases. Univariate and multivariable logistic analyzes were performed for the perinatal group. For the perinatal and non-perinatal groups, ice cream and Chinese cold dishes were the high-risk foods for listeriosis (odds ratio (OR) 2.09 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.23-3.55; OR 3.17 95% CI: 1.29-7.81), respectively; consumption of leftovers and pet ownership were the high-risk food-handling habits (OR 1.92 95% CI: 1.03-3.59; OR 3.00 95% CI: 1.11-8.11), respectively. In both groups, separation of raw and cooked foods was a protective factor (OR 0.27 95% CI: 0.14-0.51; OR 0.35 95% CI: 0.14-0.89), while refrigerator cleaning reduced the infection risk by 64.94-70.41% only in the perinatal group. The identification of high-risk foods and food-handling habits for listeriosis is important for improving food safety guidelines for vulnerable populations.

Community Practices, Published Guidelines, and Evidence Base Surrounding Breast Milk Handling and Storage: A Qualitative Study.

Background: Expressed breast milk (EBM) is the best alternative to direct breastfeeding. However, expressing breast milk requires good milk handling and storage practices to preserve EBM safety and integrity. Mothers require handling and storage guidance, and many seek this from the internet and online support groups. Aim: This study aimed at exploring EBM handling and storage practices within an online exclusively expressing community and comparing these with both internet resources and evidence-based research. Methods: A naturalistic observational design was used. Content analysis was undertaken on 10,000 posts from an Australian Facebook peer-support community for women who exclusively express breast milk. Women's questions, reported practices, and advice for EBM handling and storage were analyzed thematically and compared with both guidelines and evidence-based research. Findings: There were 460 posts on EBM handling and storage. Three key themes emerged: "How should I store my EBM?," "How long can I store my EBM?," and "How do I use my EBM?" The greatest consistency and agreement between recommendations and community practices were found for storage methods, whereas the least was found for storage times. EBM handling and storage practices were influenced by factors such as EBM value, convenience, and cost, leading to occasional deviations from consistent practice recommendations. Conclusion: To facilitate safe EBM handling and continuation of expression, guidelines should be updated so they are consistent, align with current evidence, and cater to mothers' cost, convenience, and milk wastage concerns. Health care providers can partner with women to evaluate online information to empower mothers in their decision making.

Instruments to evaluate the profile of food and enteral formulation hardlers

To know the profile of food and enteral formulation handlers is important to promote more effective health education actions for these individuals. This study aimed to develop instruments to evaluate the profile of food handlers in households (PFH) and in food service establishments (PFSE), as well as the profile of handlers of enteral formulations in households (PEFHH). A scoping review was carried out to identify questions about the profile of food and enteral formulation handlers evaluated in studies in thein the main national and international databases. From 47 selected articles, 66 questions were identified. Of these, 17, 22, and 18 questions were established to assess the PFH, PFSE, and PEFHH, respectively. The instrument questions were subdivided by subject into personal data, sociodemographic and professional characteristics, and general information. Some questions differ between instruments due to segment specificities. The proposed instruments are novel tools. Through a scoping review and expert consultations, a comprehensive set of questions was identified and organized into instruments tailored to each specific segment. These tools will be valuable for nutritionists, researchers, and other professionals involved in assessing and addressing the needs of food handlers. (AU)

Conhecer o perfil do manipulador de alimentos e de formulações enterais é importante para promover ações de educação sanitária mais efetiva para esses indivíduos. Este estudo teve como objetivo elaborar instrumentos para avaliação do perfil do manipulador de alimentos em domicílios (PFH), em serviço de alimentação (PFSE) e de formulações enterais em domicílios (PEFHH). Realizou-se uma revisão de literatura do tipo Scoping review para identificar as questões sobre o perfil do manipulador de alimentos e de formulações enterais avaliadas nos estudos nas principais bases de dados nacionais e internacionais. A partir de 47 artigos selecionados, foram identificadas 66 questões. Destas, foram estabelecidas 17, 22 e 18 questões para avaliar o PFH, PFSE e PEFHH, respectivamente. As questões dos instrumentos foram subdivididas por assunto nas seguintes categorias: dados pessoais; características sociodemográficas e profissionais; e informações gerais. Algumas questões se diferenciam entre os instrumentos devido à particularidade de cada segmento. Os instrumentos propostos são ferramentas inovadoras. Através de uma revisão abrangente e consultas com especialistas, um conjunto abrangente de perguntas foi identificado e organizado em instrumentos adaptados a cada segmento específico. Essas ferramentas serão valiosas para nutricionistas, pesquisadores e outros profissionais envolvidos na avaliação e atendimento das necessidades dos manipuladores de alimentos. (AU)

The role of hands in cross-contamination of kitchen surfaces during meal preparation.

BACKGROUND: Foodborne pathogen transmission during food preparation is a common occurrence, and cross-contamination can be a contributing factor. Behaviors that lead to cross-contamination during meal preparation have not been well characterized. The study objective was to determine how hands and food handling behaviors (with a focus on handwashing and touch-based events) affect the risk of cross-contamination of kitchen surfaces and foods during meal preparation. METHODS: Data from a prior study in which participants were observed preparing turkey burgers inoculated with bacteriophage MS2 and a salad provided the data for analysis. Cross-contamination was assessed using environmental sampling data. Behavioral coding was performed for handwashing and touch-based behaviors. Cross-contamination risk was defined as the likelihood (number of contaminated surfaces) and degree (contaminant concentration) of MS2 on surfaces. Statistical analyses were performed in R, SPSS, and SigmaPlot. RESULTS: The significantly reduced risk of cross-contamination (P.ß<.ß.0001) was observed for participants who attempted handwashing or completed more handwashing steps. Scrubbing hands for 5.ßseconds, on average, reduced the risk of cross-contamination (P.ß<.ß.05). Cross-contamination regression models created using the most significant predictor variables showed that increased handwashing attempts, completion of more handwashing steps, and average scrub times>5.ßseconds all decreased the risk of cross-contamination (P.ß<.ß.05). CONCLUSIONS: This analysis can be used in future risk assessment modeling and for informing education and outreach to reduce pathogen transmission during food preparation.

Development of a food handling practices assessment tool based on the Sri Lanka food regulations.

Objectives: Neither the current assessment tool of Sri Lanka for food establishments is based on prevailing Food Regulations 2011 nor did its focus cover serious adaptions for precautions upon prevention of the diseases. The study aims to develop a food handling practices assessment tool based on the Sri Lanka Food Regulations 2011 and to assess food handling practices using a developed tool in the Regional Director of Health Services area, Kalutara. Methods: The study consisted of developing food establishments' assessment tool (FEAT) in accordance with Food (Hygiene-1742/26) Regulations of Sri Lanka 2011 and assessing the food establishments using the developed tool in the Regional Director of Health Services area, Kalutara, Sri Lanka. The development of FEAT was carried out to mark inspection scores for food establishments conforming to Food Regulations, others reviewed international food safety protocols and agreements following key informant interviews and focus group discussions. Fully developed FEAT was transferred to a mobile application for ease of use, and assessments were conducted among 421 food establishments in three Medical Officer of Health areas. Results: FEAT contained 11 domains including 75 items with more than 100 assessment points including a guide to conducting an assessment of food handling, compared to the current version of the assessment tool in Sri Lanka. The majority of participants included in the qualitative assessment agreed to include a 1-5 scoring scale to report hygiene levels and to use hygiene regulation to develop FEAT as a legal basis. The highest percentage of food establishments (69.4%) in the "Good" category were in the Bandaragama Medical Officer of Health Area and the highest percentage of food establishments (54.5%) in the "very poor" category were in the Walallawita Medical Officer of Health Area. Food establishments taking precautionary measures, which are not assessed in the current tool, were good, but maintenance of processing area and installation of overhead structures and fitting were poor in food establishments in all three Medical Officer of Health Areas. Conclusions: The novel food assessment tool FEAT is a completely valid instrument for food establishments. It is designed for easy administration and supports reliable assessments. Overall food handling practices of food establishments in the Kalutara Regional Director of Health Services area following assessment with FEAT were in the "satisfactory" category.

Venta de alimentos saludables y funcionamiento de cantinas escolares de Tobatí. Cumplimiento de la resolución n° 16.264/13

Introducción: La Resolución N° 16.264/13 del Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (MEC) reglamenta el procedimiento y monitoreo de las cantinas escolares del Paraguay. Su cumplimiento podría prevenir consecuencias negativas en salud pública. Objetivos: Evaluar el cumplimiento de la Resolución N° 16.264/13, venta de alimentos saludables y funcionamiento de cantinas de escuelas públicas de Tobatí. Materiales y métodos: Estudio transversal en las cantinas de 11 escuelas. El instrumento fue una encuesta elaborada en base al Anexo 2 de la mencionada Resolución. Este estudio fue aprobado por el Comité de Ética en Investigación de la FCQ-UNA (Dictamen 242/16). Resultados: Los manipuladores de 8/11 cantinas, afirmaron conocer la Resolución N° 16.264/13 y la mayoría no recibió capacitación correspondiente. En 8/11 establecimientos se constataron que los pisos, paredes y techos no estaban en buen estado; 6/11 mantenían limpias las superficies de contacto con alimentos; 7/8 contaba con ventilación adecuada. En todas las cantinas un solo personal manipula alimentos y dinero en simultáneo, la mayoría de ellos no contaba con la indumentaria adecuada (cofia y delantal). En los establecimientos estudiados, se observó con mayor frecuencia que se comercializaban embutidos y snacks dulces y salados, aunque también frutas y lácteos. No existían minutas con vegetales disponibles ni las preparaciones fritas se reemplazaban por las horneadas. Conclusión: El cumplimiento de la Resolución N° 16.264/13 en la mayoría de estas cantinas escolares fue bajo y en ellas predominó la venta de alimentos con alto contenido energético y escaso valor nutritivo.

Introduction: The Resolution No. 16,264/13 of the Ministry of Education and Science (MEC) regulates the procedure and monitoring of school canteens in Paraguay. Its compliance could prevent negative consequences on public health. Objectives: Evaluate compliance to Resolution No. 16,264/13, sale of healthy food and operation of canteens in public schools in Tobatí. Materials and methods: A Cross-sectional study in 11 schools´ canteens. The questionaire was a survey based on Annex 2 of the Resolution and was approved by the FCQ-UNA Research Ethics Committee (242/16). Results: The food handlers of 8/11 canteens stated that they were familiar with Resolution No. 16.264/13 and most of them received the corresponding training. In 8/11 establishments it was found that floors, walls, and ceilings were not in good condition; 6/11 kept food contact surfaces clean; 7/8 had adequate ventilation. In all the canteens, only one staff handled food and money at the same time, most of them did not have the appropriate clothing (cap and apron). Most of the establishments sold sausages and sweet and salty snacks, where fruits and dairy products were also sold, and no vegetable meal menus available, nor were fried foods replaced by baked foods. Conclusion: compliance to Resolution No. 16,264/13 in most of these school canteens was low and the sale of food with high energy content and low nutritional value predominated.

Venta de alimentos saludables y funcionamiento de cantinas escolares de Tobatí. Cumplimiento de la resolución n° 16.264/13 / Sale of healthy food and performance of school canteens in Tobatí. Compliance to Resolution n° 16.264/13

La Resolución N° 16.264/13 del Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (MEC) reglamenta el procedimiento y monitoreo de las cantinas escolares del Paraguay. Su cumplimiento podría prevenir consecuencias negativas en salud pública. Evaluar el cumplimiento de la Resolución N° 16.264/13, venta de alimentos saludables y funcionamiento de cantinas de escuelas públicas de Tobatí. Estudio transversal en las cantinas de 11 escuelas. El instrumento fue una encuesta elaborada en base al Anexo 2 de la mencionada Resolución. Este estudio fue aprobado por el Comité de Ética en Investigación de la FCQ-UNA (Dictamen 242/16). Los manipuladores de 8/11 cantinas, afirmaron conocer la Resolución N° 16.264/13 y la mayoría no recibió capacitación correspondiente. En 8/11 establecimientos se constataron que los pisos, paredes y techos no estaban en buen estado; 6/11 mantenían limpias las superficies de contacto con alimentos; 7/8 contaba con ventilación adecuada. En todas las cantinas un solo personal manipula alimentos y dinero en simultáneo, la mayoría de ellos no contaba con la indumentaria adecuada (cofia y delantal). En los establecimientos estudiados, se observó con mayor frecuencia que se comercializaban embutidos y snacks dulces y salados, aunque también frutas y lácteos. No existían minutas con vegetales disponibles ni las preparaciones fritas se reemplazaban por las horneadas. El cumplimiento de la Resolución N° 16.264/13 en la mayoría de estas cantinas escolares fue bajo y en ellas predominó la venta de alimentos con alto contenido energético y escaso valor nutritivo.

The Resolution No. 16,264/13 of the Ministry of Education and Science (MEC) regulates the procedure and monitoring of school canteens in Paraguay. Its compliance could prevent negative consequences on public health. Evaluate compliance to Resolution No. 16,264/13, sale of healthy food and operation of canteens in public schools in Tobatí. A Cross-sectional study in 11 schools´ canteens. The questionaire was a survey based on Annex 2 of the Resolution and was approved by the FCQ-UNA Research Ethics Committee (242/16). The food handlers of 8/11 canteens stated that they were familiar with Resolution No. 16.264/13 and most of them received the corresponding training. In 8/11 establishments it was found that floors, walls, and ceilings were not in good condition; 6/11 kept food contact surfaces clean; 7/8 had adequate ventilation. In all the canteens, only one staff handled food and money at the same time, most of them did not have the appropriate clothing (cap and apron). Most of the establishments sold sausages and sweet and salty snacks, where fruits and dairy products were also sold, and no vegetable meal menus available, nor were fried foods replaced by baked foods. compliance to Resolution No. 16,264/13 in most of these school canteens was low and the sale of food with high energy content and low nutritional value predominated.

Low-Bacterial Diet in Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review.

The low-bacterial diet (LBD) is a widely used dietary regimen to reduce the risk of food-borne infections in patients with neutropenic cancer, but its role is controversial due to its unclear benefits. The purpose of this study was to provide an updated analysis of the available evidence on the efficacy of the LBD to reduce the risk of infections, mortality rates, and quality of life (QoL) in neutropenic patients with cancer. A systematic literature search was conducted in the biomedical databases Cochrane Library, PubMed, CINHAL, and EMBASE. The process of the screening, selection, inclusion of articles, and assessment of risk of bias and methodological quality was conducted by two reviewers. Of the 1985 records identified, 12 were included. The LBD demonstrated heterogeneity in definition, composition, and initiation timing; moreover, the LBD did not demonstrate a reduction in infection and mortality rates compared to a free diet, showing a negative correlation with quality of life. The LBD, in addition to not bringing benefits in terms of reductions in infection and mortality rates, has been shown to worsen the quality of life due to the reduced palatability and limited variety of the food supply, negatively impacting nutritional status.

Assessing the knowledge of, attitudes towards, and practices in, food safety among migrant workers in Klang Valley, Malaysia.

BACKGROUND: Annually, 600 million individuals are affected by food-borne diseases (FBD), alongside 425,000 fatalities. Improving the general public knowledge of, attitudes towards, and practices in, (KAP) food safety is necessary for minimizing FBD transmission. In Malaysia, migrant workers account for 11.1% of the workforce, with a high proportion involved in food and beverage services. Therefore, this study aimed (i) to evaluate the current food safety KAP, and (ii) to identify the strategies to promote food safety awareness, among migrant workers across occupational sectors in Klang Valley. METHOD: A survey was conducted with 403 migrant workers through phone interviews and online self-administered questionnaires. Piecewise structural equation modelling and multinomial regression were applied to identify predictor variables for food safety KAP and to explore differences across nationalities. RESULTS: The respondents were Nepalese, Filipino and Indonesian. The majority were male, working in the services industry, had completed high school, aged between 30 and 39 years and had worked in Malaysia for less than ten years. Knowledge was significantly correlated with attitudes and practices. Female respondents had lower knowledge and attitude scores while younger respondents had lower knowledge scores. Indonesian and Filipino respondents had lower knowledge and attitudes scores than Nepalese respondents. Understanding food safety information from social media was positively correlated with the respondents' food safety knowledge and practices. CONCLUSION: These findings highlighted: (i) the need to target female, younger, Indonesian and Filipino migrant workers, and (ii) the potential of social media to improve public awareness of food safety and hygienic practices.

Adherence to safe food-handling practices and dietary patterns in cancer survivors.

BACKGROUND: In Chile there is a high risk profile of developing cancer which is associated, among other factors, to eating behaviors and, in this line, it is essential for cancer survivors to have access to nutritional advice that includes aproppriate food safety practices. The objective of this study is to characterize the level of adherence of cancer survivors to safe food-handling practices and dietary patterns in a Chilean National Health Survey. METHODS: Secondary analysis study, conducted using the National Health Survey 2016-2017 database. The association between adherence to dietary patterns and safe food-handling practices was conducted by means of a logistic regression analisys, considering a p value of <0.05 as statistically significant. RESULTS: 2765 participants, females, 5.8% were cancer survivors who adhered twice more to the safe food-handling practice "wash your hands with soap and water before preparing food and before eating", and 1.5 times more to the practice "keep raw meat separate from other foods when preparing food or cooking". In both groups, it was observed a low adherence to achieve the recommendations on healthy weight, physical activity, fruits and vegetables consumption, and alcohol and sugar-sweetened beverages consumption of the WCRF/AICR. CONCLUSIONS: Partial adherence to the safe food-handling recommendations and low adherence to the WCRF/AICR recommendations were observed among cancer survivors and subjects without cancer.

Consumer attitudes and perceptions towards chilled ready-to-eat foods: a multi-national study.

Understanding consumers' behavior and their handling of high-risk foods at home is essential for reducing the number of foodborne illnesses. This study shows the results of a cross-national analysis of consumers' perception from nine countries, and the identification of customers' clusters and its characteristics in order to understand customers' behavior, and to build safe chilled ready-to-eat (RTE) foods prevention strategies. The cluster analysis resulted in two clusters: (1) "Precautious consumers" characterized by the orientation towards pre-packed RTE foods, with consumers mainly coming from Bosnia and Herzegovina, India, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and Turkey. Their attitudes and self-reported practices may be categorized as less risky in terms of food-borne illnesses connected with the consumption of RTE foods; (2) "Unconcerned consumers" preferred cutting and slicing RTE foods freshly at the point of purchase, usually sold at the delicatessen department in a supermarket or at open markets. Those consumers mostly came from Croatia, Serbia and Slovenia and their attitudes and self-reported practices were riskier. These results allow a better understating of what characterizes consumers of RTE foods in different countries.