Inadequacies in Good Manufacturing Practices and High Health Risks are Still Problems in Food Production in Public Preschools and Daycares in Rio Branco, Acre, Western Brazilian Amazonia.
In Brazil, childhood education begins with daycare and preschool, covering children between the ages of 0 and 6 years of age. During this phase of life, the child is in the process of developing his or her motor and cognitive skills as well as forming proper feeding habits that will likely persist into adulthood.
The program aims to meet the nutritional needs of students during their stay in the classroom, and to contribute to the growth, development and knowledge of the students, including the formation of good eating habits. City and state administrators at PNAE are responsible for assuring the correct acquisition, transport, and storage of raw materials, as well as the sanitary preparation of the meals. The majority of kitchens in Brazilian public schools do not possess adequate facilities to handle food hygienically, from raw material reception to distribution, with cross contamination being a distinct possibility.
The food produced in the school Alimentation and Nutrition Units (UAN) should have adequate nutritional value, meeting the nutritional needs of the appropriate age group, and they should have organoleptic appeal and be sanitary. Sanitation quality is an indispensable factor in the handling of food, because it is related to the promotion and maintenance of the student’s health. Insufficient sanitation control is a determining factor in the appearance of Diseases Transmitted by Food (DTA), caused mainly by contamination and bacterial growth in food.
Adv Food Technol Nutr Sci Open J. 2015; SE(1): S38-S46.doi: 10.17140/AFTNSOJ-SE-1-106
