Survey conducted at the Guamá and Ver-o-Peso free fairs in the city of Belém-Pará, with the objective of verifying good food handling practices and the structure of points of sale. Field research was performed with a structured instrument based on Brazilian sanitary resolutions and ethical principles; the data are presented in descriptive statistics. Of the sample, 63% were women; 71% underwent medical examination in 2014; 52% did training in food handling; 62% did not use personal protective equipment; 38% wore ornaments. The qualitative evaluation shows good conditions of adequacy to the norms. Health surveillance services should carry out greater monitoring of the qualification of food handlers and compliance with sanitary legislation in the city's free fairs, as a preventive measure for consumer health.(AU)