Avaliação qualitativa das preparações servidas em um restaurante popular e os impactos do cenário pandêmico da covid-19 / Qualitative assessment of preparations served in a popular restaurant and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic scenario / Evaluación cualitativa de las preparaciones servidas en un restaurante popular y los impactos del escenario de pandemia COVID-19

Introdução:A chegadadapandemia da COVID-19 afetou diretamente o planejamento alimentar de instituições municipais, estaduais e de demais âmbitos, dentre eles as refeiçõesofertadas peloprograma restaurante popular, importante na garantia da segurança alimentarda população mais vulnerável.Objetivo:Avaliar de forma qualitativa as preparações do cardápio do almoço do Restaurante Popular do município de Santa Cruz-Rio Grande do Nortee os impactos do cenário pandêmico da COVID-19.Metodologia:Para tanto, avaliou-se os cardápios referentes aos meses de março, abril, maio, agosto e setembro de 2021, pelo método avaliação qualitativa das preparações do cardápio. Além disso, por meio da adaptação dométodosupracitado, designou-se as preparações de acordo com as recomendações do tipo de processamento segundo o Guia Alimentar para população Brasileira. Resultados:Identificou-se uma baixa oferta de frutas e folhosos, alta de carnes gordurosas e doce, regular de preparações ricas em enxofre e as cores iguais, todavia, quanto à fritura e ao conjunto de fritura + doce apresentou-se em apenas umdiada semana (n=109). Além disso, nos dois últimos meses de análisehouve aumento na oferta de folhosos, diminuição da monotonia, alimentos ricos em enxofre e doces, e ainda, as preparações com alimentos in natura ou minimamente processados + processados fizeram-se presentestodos os dias. Conclusões:Com a utilizaçãodométodo estudadofoipossível identificar ajustesno cardápiopara o período analisado, a fim de ofertar qualidade para os comensais.Ressalta-se que foi observadoque com a adaptação e redução dos casos da COVID-19, houve aumento na oferta de in natura e minimamente processados. Espera-se que melhorias e ajustes sejam realizadosnos cardápios, visto a necessidadede ser mais enfático em seu princípiode garantir a segurança alimentar (AU).

Introduction:The arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic affected directly the food planning of municipal, state and other institutions, including the meals offered by the popular restaurant program, which is important in guaranteeing the food security of the vulnerablepopulation. Objective: To qualitatively evaluate the preparations of the lunch menu at Restaurante Popular in the municipality of Santa Cruz-Rio Grande do Norteand the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic scenario.Methodology:To this, the menus for the months of March, April, May, August and September 2021 were evaluated by the methodqualitative evaluation of menu preparations. Furthermore, through the adaptation of the methodaformentioned, preparations were designated according to the recommendations for type of processing following the Food Guide for the Brazilian population.Results:A low supply of fruits and leafy vegetables was identified, high supply of fatty and sweet meats, regular supply of preparations rich in sulfur and the same colors. However, regarding the frying and the frying + sweet combination, it was presented in just one daythe week(n=109).Moreover, in the last two months of analysis there was an increase in the supply of hardwoods, decrease in monotony,foods rich in sulfur and sweets, and even, preparations in natura or minimally processed + processed foods were presentsevery day. Conclusions:With the use of the method studied it waspossible to adjust the menufor the analyzed periodto offer qualityto diners. It should the increase in the supply of in natura and minimally processed foods stands out with the adaptation and progression of the reduction of COVID-19cases.It is expected that improvements and adjustments will be madethe menus,given the need to be more emphatic in its principleof ensuring food safety (AU).

ntroducción: La llegada de la pandemia del COVID-19 afectó directamente la planificación alimentaria de las instituciones municipales, estatales y otras, incluyendo las comidas que ofrece el programa de restaurantes populares, importante para garantizar la seguridad alimentaria de la población más vulnerable. Objetivo:Evaluar cualitativamente las preparaciones del menú del almuerzo en el Restaurante Popular del municipio de Santa Cruz-Rio Grande do Nortey los impactos del escenario de pandemia del COVID-19.Metodología:Para ello, se evaluaron los menús de los meses de marzo, abril, mayo, agosto y septiembre de 2021 por el método evaluación cualitativa de la elaboración de menús. Además, al adaptar el métodocitado, las preparaciones fueron designadas de acuerdo con las recomendaciones del tipo de procesamiento según la Guía de Alimentos para la población brasileña.Resultados: Se identificó una baja oferta de frutas y hortalizas de hoja, alta oferta de carnes grasas y dulces, regular oferta de preparaciones ricasen azufre y los mismos colores,aún,en cuanto a la fritura y la combinación fritura + dulce, se presentó en un solo díade lasemana(n=109). Además, en los últimos dos meses de análisishubo un aumento en la oferta de maderas duras, una disminución de la monotonía, alimentos ricos en azufre y dulces, y aun, las preparaciones con alimentos in natura o mínimamente procesados + procesados presentes todos los días. Conclusiones: Con el uso del método estudió fueposible identificar ajustes en el menúpara el período analizado, con el fin de ofrecer calidad a los comensales. Cabe señalar que se observó que con la adaptación y reducción delcasosCOVID-19, hubo un aumento en la oferta de productos in natura y mínimamente procesados. Se espera que se realicenmejoras y ajustesa los menús, dada las necesidades más enfáticasen su principiode garantizar la seguridad alimentaria (AU).

Factors influencing employees' eating behaviours in the office-based workplace: A systematic review.

Employees spend a large proportion of their time at work and typically consume a third of their total calories during the working day. Research suggests that the workplace environment can affect employees' eating behaviours, leading to various related health consequences. This systematic review aimed to identify and synthesize the evidence surrounding factors influencing eating behaviours within an office-based workforce. The literature search was restricted to studies published in English between January 2008 and April 2018. A total of 5,017 articles were screened and assessed for eligibility, of which 22 articles (n=23 studies) were included in the review. All included studies were subjected to quality assessment and were summarized into groups (themes) of "factors" affecting any aspect of eating behaviour at work. The findings revealed a number of factors influencing eating behaviours at work relating to the job role, workplace food environment, and social aspects of the office-based workplace. Most of the existing research implies the office-based workplace has a negative influence on eating behaviours. The findings of this review provide an evidence based, comprehensive summary of the possible determinants of eating behaviours in the workplace, which may help researchers to identify factors that are potential targets for intervention.

Hygiene assessments of school kitchens based on the microbiological status of served food.

BACKGROUND: According to European trends, more children eat at school canteens than ever before, therefore food safety and quality have become increasingly significant in recent years. Nevertheless, there are large differences in food safety levels in different school canteens. We hypothesize that the microbial status of the served meal represents on the general hygiene of the kitchen. Our research examines whether mesophilic aerobic bacteria measured in served food are connected with the level of hygiene in the catering unit, and whether this indicator can be used as a criterion for assessing school kitchens. METHODS: Meal samples were collected from six school kitchens, and mesophilic aerobic bacterial count was measured. Samples were collected on five different days, so each kitchen was monitored five times. Two meals per visit were collected: a soup and a main course. RESULTS: Out of the 60 samples, 26 were good (CFU/g < 103), 24 were acceptable (CFU/g: 103–105), and in 10 samples, the microbial count was found to be above the limit (CFU/g > 105). Statistical calculations revealed that microbial contamination of served meals was influenced neither by the supplier nor by the type of meal (soup or main course). However, the level of hygiene in the serving kitchen significantly affects the microbial status of meals. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the results, a qualification system can be developed using the mesophilic aerobic bacterial count measurable in the served meal to assess hygiene. By regular determination of mesophilic aerobic bacterial count and the presence of Enterobacteriaceae, the food safety of a catering unit can be quantitatively evaluated.

Adequate Hand Washing and Glove Use Are Necessary To Reduce Cross-Contamination from Hands with High Bacterial Loads.

Hand washing and glove use are the main methods for reducing bacterial cross-contamination from hands to ready-to-eat food in a food service setting. However, bacterial transfer from hands to gloves is poorly understood, as is the effect of different durations of soap rubbing on bacterial reduction. To assess bacterial transfer from hands to gloves and to compare bacterial transfer rates to food after different soap washing times and glove use, participants' hands were artificially contaminated with Enterobacter aerogenes B199A at ∼9 log CFU. Different soap rubbing times (0, 3, and 20 s), glove use, and tomato dicing activities followed. The bacterial counts in diced tomatoes and on participants' hands and gloves were then analyzed. Different soap rubbing times did not significantly change the amount of bacteria recovered from participants' hands. Dicing tomatoes with bare hands after 20 s of soap rubbing transferred significantly less bacteria (P < 0.01) to tomatoes than did dicing with bare hands after 0 s of soap rubbing. Wearing gloves while dicing greatly reduced the incidence of contaminated tomato samples compared with dicing with bare hands. Increasing soap washing time decreased the incidence of bacteria recovered from outside glove surfaces (P < 0.05). These results highlight that both glove use and adequate hand washing are necessary to reduce bacterial cross-contamination in food service environments.

Vending machine assessment methodology. A systematic review.

The nutritional quality of food and beverage products sold in vending machines has been implicated as a contributing factor to the development of an obesogenic food environment. How comprehensive, reliable, and valid are the current assessment tools for vending machines to support or refute these claims? A systematic review was conducted to summarize, compare, and evaluate the current methodologies and available tools for vending machine assessment. A total of 24 relevant research studies published between 1981 and 2013 met inclusion criteria for this review. The methodological variables reviewed in this study include assessment tool type, study location, machine accessibility, product availability, healthfulness criteria, portion size, price, product promotion, and quality of scientific practice. There were wide variations in the depth of the assessment methodologies and product healthfulness criteria utilized among the reviewed studies. Of the reviewed studies, 39% evaluated machine accessibility, 91% evaluated product availability, 96% established healthfulness criteria, 70% evaluated portion size, 48% evaluated price, 52% evaluated product promotion, and 22% evaluated the quality of scientific practice. Of all reviewed articles, 87% reached conclusions that provided insight into the healthfulness of vended products and/or vending environment. Product healthfulness criteria and complexity for snack and beverage products was also found to be variable between the reviewed studies. These findings make it difficult to compare results between studies. A universal, valid, and reliable vending machine assessment tool that is comprehensive yet user-friendly is recommended.

Microbiological sampling plan based on risk classification to verify supplier selection and production of served meals in food service operation.

Food service operations are confronted with a diverse range of raw materials and served meals. The implementation of a microbial sampling plan in the framework of verification of suppliers and their own production process (functionality of their prerequisite and HACCP program), demands selection of food products and sampling frequencies. However, these are often selected without a well described scientifically underpinned sampling plan. Therefore, an approach on how to set-up a focused sampling plan, enabled by a microbial risk categorization of food products, for both incoming raw materials and meals served to the consumers is presented. The sampling plan was implemented as a case study during a one-year period in an institutional food service operation to test the feasibility of the chosen approach. This resulted in 123 samples of raw materials and 87 samples of meal servings (focused on high risk categorized food products) which were analyzed for spoilage bacteria, hygiene indicators and food borne pathogens. Although sampling plans are intrinsically limited in assessing the quality and safety of sampled foods, it was shown to be useful to reveal major non-compliances and opportunities to improve the food safety management system in place. Points of attention deduced in the case study were control of Listeria monocytogenes in raw meat spread and raw fish as well as overall microbial quality of served sandwiches and salads.

[Organization and technology in the catering sector]. / Organizzazione e tecnologia nel settore della ristorazione collettiva.

The catering industry is a service characterized by a contract between customer and supplier. In institutional catering industry, the customer is represented by public administration; in private catering industry, the customer is represented by privates. The annual catering trades size is about 6.74 billions of euros, equally distributed between health sector (hospitals, nursing homes), school sector and business sector (ivorkplace food service), with the participation of nearly 1.200 firms and 70.000 workers. Major services include off-premises catering (food prepared away from the location where it's served) and on-premises catering (meals prepared and served at the same place). Several tools and machineries are used during both warehousing and food refrigerating operations, and during preparation, cooking, packaging and transport of meals. In this sector, injuries, rarely resulting serious or deadly, show a downward trend in the last years. On the contrary, the number of occupational diseases shows an upward trend. About the near future, the firms should become global outsourcer, able to provide other services as cleaning, transport and maintenance. In addition, they should invest in innovation: from tools and machineries technology to work organization; from factory lay-out to safely and health in the workplaces.

Evaluation of hygiene practices and microbiological status of ready-to-eat vegetable salads in Spanish school canteens.

BACKGROUND: This study was conducted in eight Spanish school canteens during the period 2008-2009. Food handlers' practices, kitchen equipment, hygiene/sanitation conditions and handling practices were evaluated using checklists. In parallel, the microbiological quality and safety of ready-to-eat (RTE) vegetable salads were assessed. In addition, food contact surfaces and environmental air quality of different areas were analysed. The study determined the relationship between the microbiological quality of RTE foods and food handling practices, together with the degree of contamination of working surfaces and environmental contamination of processing and distribution areas. RESULTS: Some deficiencies were found regarding the use and change of gloves, hand-washing and cleanliness of working surfaces. The microbial levels detected in the foods examined indicated the absence of pathogens in the samples analysed. Surface counts were higher on cutting boards and faucets, showing insufficient cleanliness procedures. CONCLUSION: This study constitutes a descriptive analysis of the hygiene/sanitation conditions implemented in food service systems in eight Spanish school canteens. The results should help risk managers to better define control measures to be adopted in order to prevent foodborne infections.

The use of point-of-sale machines in school cafeterias as a method of parental influence over child lunch food choices.

BACKGROUND: Computerized point-of-sale (POS) machine software that allows parents to place restrictions on their child's school meal accounts is available. Parents could restrict specific foods (eg, chips), identify specific days the child can purchase extra foods, or set monetary limits. This descriptive study examines the use of parental restrictions on student cafeteria POS accounts in a convenience sample of 2 school districts. METHODS: POS alerts, with student gender, grade, ethnicity, and students' free or reduced-price meal eligibility, were obtained from 2 school food service departments for the 2007-2008 school year. The alerts were coded into 5 categories: financial, medical, restrictions, snacks OK, and extras OK. The distribution of alerts by district, students, and demographics was then tabulated. RESULTS: District A (4839 students) had more students with alerts (n = 789, 16%) than District B (8510 students; n = 217, 2.6%), and 94 District A students had a second alert. District A parents had to provide written permission for their child to purchase snacks (n = 654, 13.5%) and extra meal items (n = 113, 2.3%). Most alerts were for full-pay students in both districts (74% and 66%) and varied by demographics of the students. CONCLUSIONS: Few parents actually used this system to limit student purchases of foods outside the school meal. Future studies should investigate the influence of these restrictions on student food choices.

Randomized controlled trial to determine the effectiveness of an interactive multimedia food safety education program for clients of the special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children.

BACKGROUND: Pregnant women and the very young are among those most susceptible to foodborne infections and at high risk of a severe outcome from foodborne infections. OBJECTIVE: To determine if interactive multimedia is a more effective method than pamphlets for delivering food safety education to Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) clients. DESIGN: A randomized controlled trial of WIC clients was conducted. Self-reported food safety practices were compared between pre- and postintervention questionnaires completed >or=2 months after the intervention. SUBJECTS/SETTING: Pregnant WIC clients or female caregivers (usually mothers) of WIC clients who were 18 years of age or older and able to speak and read English were recruited from an inner-city WIC clinic. INTERVENTION: Participants were randomized to receive food safety pamphlets or complete an interactive multimedia food safety education program on a computer kiosk. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Change from pre- to postintervention food safety scores. STATISTICAL ANALYSES PERFORMED: A mean food safety score was determined for each participant for the pre- and postintervention questionnaires. The scores were used in a two-group repeated measures analysis of variance. RESULTS: Of the 394 participants, 255 (64.7%) completed the postintervention questionnaire. Satisfaction with the program was high especially among those with no education beyond high school. When considering a repeated measures analysis of variance model with the two fixed between-subject effects of group and age, a larger improvement in score in the interactive multimedia group than in the pamphlet group (P=0.005) was found, but the size of the group effect was small (partial eta(2)=0.033). Women aged 35 years or older in the interactive multimedia group had the largest increase in score. CONCLUSIONS: The interactive multimedia was well-accepted and resulted in improved self-reported food safety practices, suggesting that interactive multimedia is an effective option for food safety education in WIC clinics.

Sterility testing of a dispensing valve for aseptic function in food service applications.

Manual dispensing equipment for aseptically packaged beverages or foods requires refrigeration of the product package following breakage of the hermetic seal. The food service industry would benefit greatly by implementing dispensing equipment that maintains the sterility of products after continued use without the need for refrigeration. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the ability of a valve, designed to operate aseptically and dispense products with or without refrigeration, to maintain the sterility of products following breakage of the hermetic seal and continued use simulating that of food service. Plastic packages equipped with the "aseptic" dispensing valve in a bag-in-box (BIB) format were aseptically filled with enrichment media with and without the addition of 1% cornstarch to simulate high- and low-viscosity products, respectively. BIBs filled with media were left uninoculated or inoculated (10(4) CFU/ml) with Staphylococcus aureus or Aspergillus niger on the interior of the spout 1 cm from the opening to simulate consumer misuse. Uninoculated and inoculated BIBs were stored at 25 degrees C, and media were dispensed once to twice per day, every day for up to 30 days to simulate food service use. Dispensates were observed for turbidity (compared with controls) indicating growth in BIBs and, thus, breach of sterility. Growth of samples taken aseptically through the package wall was checked microbiologically every 5 days by standard plating techniques. There was no breach in sterility until day 25. At day 25, uninoculated BIB (1 of 45 samples positive for growth) containing high-viscosity media and BIB inoculated with S. aureus (1 of 45 samples positive for growth) containing low-viscosity media became turbid. Viscosity and type of organism did not appear to influence the ability of the valve to maintain the sterility for > or =20 days. The results of this study provide evidence that the dispensing valve tested can maintain the sterility of aseptically filled products following initial dispensation and continued use under unrefrigerated conditions.

Design of a cafeteria tray for use by stroke survivors.

Survivors of a stroke present varying types and degrees of neurological impairments and functional deficits. They often have difficulty using one side of their body and may require assistive devices such as canes and walkers. As a result, carrying a standard cafeteria tray can pose a challenge to these individuals. Our goal was to design a cafeteria tray that could be easily used with one hand. User interviews of stroke survivors offered client needs that guided the entire design process. It was important to the stroke survivors that the device required intuitive understanding of use, effectively transported food using only one hand, supported the weight of a meal, and had a pleasing design to promote discreteness by avoiding a "disabled" appearance.

[Work process and workers' health in a food and nutrition unit: prescribed versus actual work]. / Processo de trabalho e saúde de trabalhadores de uma unidade de alimentação e nutrição: entre a prescrição e o real do trabalho.

This study focuses on the relationship between the work process in a food and nutrition unit and workers' health, in the words of the participants themselves. Direct observation, a semi-structured interview, and focus groups were used to collect the data. The reference was the dialogue between human ergonomics and work psychodynamics. The results showed that work organization in the study unit represents a routine activity, the requirements of which in terms of the work situation are based on criteria set by the institution. Variability in the activities is influenced mainly by the available equipment, instruments, and materials, thereby generating improvisation in meal production that produces both a physical and psychological cost for workers. Dissatisfaction during the performance of tasks results mainly from the supervisory style and relationship to immediate superiors. Workers themselves proposed changes in the work organization, based on greater dialogue and trust between supervisors and the workforce. Finally, the study identifies the need for an intervention that encourages workers' participation as agents of change.

Prevalence of food production systems in school foodservice.

OBJECTIVE: What is the prevalence of central kitchens that use either cook-chill or cook-freeze production systems in school foodservice settings? DESIGN: A descriptive study using a 5-minute telephone survey during normal working hours was conducted. Questions were designed to be easily answered with minimal need to reference other documentation. SUBJECTS: Five hundred forty school foodservice directors, managers, and supervisors working in school districts of all sizes across the United States were randomly sampled from a national commercial directory of school districts for the study. A total of 353 individuals completed the survey representing 49 of 50 states. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Means, standard deviations, and percentages were evaluated for all data collected. STATISTICAL ANALYSES PERFORMED: Descriptive statistics of school district characteristics, prevalence of production systems, food transport systems, inventory methods and equipment used for reheating food are reported. RESULTS: The most frequently reported production system was on-site kitchens (45.3%) followed by combination production systems (40.5%) where a central kitchen delivered to a number of satellite locations in addition to schools with on-site food preparation. Central kitchens without additional on-site kitchens represented 14.2% of this study. Of those school districts using either central kitchens or combination production systems, 78% reported hot-food preparation using hot-food delivery to satellites. Cook-chill or cook-freeze production systems were reported by 22% of respondents. CONCLUSIONS: The high proportion of school districts that prepared and delivered foods hot to satellite sites supports continuing efforts to identify food safety practices and issues related to maintaining food quality in schools.

A ficha técnica de preparação como instrumento de qualidade na produção de refeições / The technical cards as quality instrument for good manufacturing process

As profundas transformações nos métodos e tecnologias de trabalho têm gerado mudanças no processo de produção de refeições. A ficha técnica de preparação foi objeto de uma análise, na perspectiva de discuti-la como instrumento de qualidade na produção de refeições. Foram utilizadas bases de dados, livros e formas eletrônicas de artigos para a pesquisa bibliográfica. A compreensão de que o nutricionista, na condição de profissional de saúde, possui como atribuição a atenção dietética, e de que esta deve estar associada à racionalização e à otimização do processo de produção de refeição, seguindo princípios dietéticos, faz com que a Ficha Técnica de Preparo seja um instrumento de promoção à saúde. Sua construção como ferramenta de atenção dietética é, portanto, um dos desafios com vistas à necessária mudança de atitude dos profissionais, no que tange ao aprendizado e à aplicação de novas tecnologias, e ao fornecimento de alimento seguro.

A novel redesign of food scoops in high volume food service organizations.

The purpose of this article is to propose design changes to a food scoop commonly used in the food service industry. A review of literature concerning the design of hand tools is used to justify modifications to the existing design. Changes to the handle and shape of the tool are discussed. Implications of the newly designed food scoop, both for future research and the workplace are reviewed. The conclusion of this article is that the proposed food scoop should have a 40-millimeter diameter, foam rubber handle and should have a lift angle of 35 degrees.

Evaluation of ergonomic adjustments of catering carts to reduce external pushing forces.

An existing standard catering cart was compared with two prototypes for pushbar and castor design. The first objective of this study was to find out which cart was accompanied with the lowest manually exerted external forces in pushing in a straight way and in pushing a 90 turn. The second objective was to explore effects of the pushbar and castor design of the carts. In the initial and ending phase, the prototypes were accompanied with higher exerted forces compared with the standard catering cart. In pushing straight. the reversed start position of the bigger castors of the prototypes hampered a fluent acceleration and caused higher initial forces. In decelerating, the lower rolling friction of the bigger castors required higher forces to stop the prototypes compared to the standard cart. During the sustained phase, the prototype carts were more favourable. Effects of pushbar and castor design were studied during a turn. The vertical pushbars of the prototypes resulted in lower time-integrated pushing forces. Providing an axis of rotation for turning activities by means of a fixed wheel was proven to be advantageous.

[HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Point system) at a catering service: checklist and microbiological examination]. / HACCP in una mensa collettiva: checklist e controlli microbiologici.

The A.A. carried out a survey on the functioning of a catering service in Rome. The risk analysis assessment was performed by means of a checklist that collected systematically all data about the environment, the operators, the food and the catering process. The results of the microbiological analysis carried out in the CCP's showed that the general conditions of the catering service were not satisfactory, but also indicated the validity of the checklist used. This method showed a high predictive value and can be useful to improve the application of the HACCP system.