Food Safety in Feeding Services: A Requirement in Brazil

Access to food that is adequate in both quantity and quality is directly related to the health of a population. Unsafe food may cause an individual to experience varying degrees of illnesses known as food-borne disease. As their daily lives change, an increasing number of Brazilian people eat outside of their houses in restaurants, cafes, bakeries, and other dining establishments. Until August 2004, food services in Brazil followed the same standards recommended for other industries; these standards were determined by the Ministry of Health through Decree 326 in 1997 and completed in 2002 by the Brazilian Health Surveillance Agency through Resolution 275. On September 15, 2004, the Brazilian Health Surveillance Agency published RDC 216 that provided information about Technical Regulation of Good Practices specifically for food services. This legislation ensures safe production of the food at Brazilian food service sites through good practices and procedures. The purpose of this review is to describe the aspects related to safe food production and to discuss the main legislation for food services in Brazil.