Ciência e Tecnologia de Alimentos

ISSN: 0101-2061
revista@sbcta.org.br
Sociedade Brasileira de Ciência e
Tecnologia de Alimentos
Brasil

Martini RODRIGUES, Kátia Regina; SALAY, Elisabete

Role of food safety in procedures adopted for the purchase of minimally processed and
fresh vegetables by foodservices
Ciência e Tecnologia de Alimentos, vol. 30, núm. 4, octubre-diciembre, 2010, pp. 1097-
1104
Sociedade Brasileira de Ciência e Tecnologia de Alimentos
Campinas, Brasil

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Ciência e Tecnologia de Alimentos ISSN 0101-2061

Original
Role of food safety in procedures adopted for the purchase of minimally
processed and fresh vegetables by foodservices
Segurança alimentar e o processo de aquisição de hortaliças in natura e
minimamente processadas por serviços de alimentação

Kátia Regina Martini RODRIGUES1, Elisabete SALAY2*

Abstract
This research was designed to analyze whether the procedures adopted by foodservice establishments for the purchase of minimally processed
and fresh vegetables favor the acquisition of safe products. This research investigated the purchasing policies of such establishments, whether
self-managed or administered by foodservice contractors, in the municipality of Campinas and its outlying districts. A random sample of
thirty-nine establishments participated in the research. The instruments for data collection were pre-tested, and the actual interviews were
conducted by trained personnel. Comparative analyses were made using various statistical tests. All of the participating establishments
purchase fresh vegetables, although only six of them use minimally processed ones. For most of the establishments, price is at least one of the
most important criteria for the selection of a supplier, and they do not normally monitor the safety of the fresh products purchased (51.3%),
nor do they make regular technical visits to guarantee quality (46.2%); moreover, most do not carry out a supplier development program.
It is suggested that routine technical visits to suppliers should be adopted, as well as the creation of courses, such as those dealing with the
safety of vegetables and supplier development, to be offered to foodservices.
Keywords: fresh vegetables; food safety; minimally processed vegetables; foodservice.

Resumo
Esta pesquisa teve como objetivo analisar se os procedimentos utilizados para aquisição de hortaliças in natura e minimamente processadas
nas Unidades de Alimentação e Nutrição (UANs) favorecem a compra de produtos seguros. Sua abrangência foi o município de Campinas e
seus quatro distritos e direcionou-se para UANs administradas por autogestão ou concessionárias de alimentos localizadas através de listagens
fornecidas por entidades representativas da categoria. Foram identificados 60 casos e, desses, 39 participaram da pesquisa. Utilizaram-se
instrumentos para a coleta de dados previamente testados e as entrevistas foram realizadas por pessoal treinado. Foram realizadas análises
comparativas por meio de diferentes testes estatísticos. Todas as unidades faziam uso de hortaliças in natura e apenas seis de minimamente
processadas. Grande parte das empresas não promoveu o desenvolvimento do fornecedor, poucas realizavam visitas técnicas (46,2%) e
monitoramento da segurança do produto in natura (51,3%) junto ao fornecedor. Entre os critérios mais importantes para definição do
fornecedor de hortaliças, o preço obteve grande destaque. Sugere-se que seja incorporada rotineiramente a visita aos fornecedores de
hortaliças. Recomenda-se a criação de cursos na temática de segurança de hortaliças e desenvolvimento de fornecedores voltados ao setor
de serviços de alimentação.
Palavras-chave: hortaliça in natura; alimento seguro; hortaliça minimamente processada; serviço de alimentação.

1 Introduction
Collective meals produced by foodservice establishments no matter how carefully one plans the menu, simple changes
account for a large segment of the commercialized food market, in temperature can alter the preference of users and generate
and this number are in clear expansion. Since quality control of demands other than those expected. On the other hand, food
raw materials is extremely important in the prevention of food processing establishments can influence their suppliers. Since
poisoning, foodservice establishments should be motivated to they buy large quantities of food, they can demand certain
implement efficient systems for monitoring them, especially standards of quality, and these requirements should provide
during production, transport, and the reception of raw materials incentives for the improvement of the quality of all products
at the institution (LIMA; GOES, 1999). furnished by that supplier. Moreover, such an improvement
should be reflected throughout the entire productive food
Suppliers clearly play a fundamental role in the quality of the
chain.
services offered by foodservice establishments. A good supplier
should provide high quality products at competitive prices Consumer demands for food quality have increased over
with enough agility to deal with emergency situations, since, the years. There is also a growing concern with the nutritional

Recebido para publicação em 1/6/2009

Aceito para publicação em 25/9/2009 (004228)
1
Faculdade de Nutrição, Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Campinas – PUC, Av. John Boyd Dunlop, s/n, Jd. Ipaussurama, CEP 13060-904, Campinas - SP, Brasil
2
Departamento de Alimentos e Nutrição, Faculdade de Engenharia de Alimentos, Universidade Estadual de Campinas – UNICAMP, Rua Monteiro Lobato, n. 80, CP 6121,
CEP 13083-862, Campinas - SP, Brasil, E-mail: salay@fea.unicamp.br
*A quem a correspondência deve ser enviada

Ciênc. Tecnol. Aliment., Campinas, 30(4): 1097-1104, out.-dez. 2010 1097

 Food safety and vegetable acquisition by foodservices

aspects of the diet. Since fresh vegetables are a source of vitamins, as well as the Regional Council of Dietitians, since those
minerals, and fibers and decrease the risk of certain non- organs maintain a register of foodservice establishments. The
transmissible chronic diseases, their consumption is encouraged telephone directory was also consulted, as well as data provided
by the Brazilian Department of Health (BRASIL, 2006). In by the Union of Workers in Collective Meal Companies. This
addition, the World Health Organization (2009) considers procedure was similar to that adopted by Buchweitz (2001) and
foodservice companies a significant agent in promoting healthy Savio et al. (2005).
diets in the context of global strategy on diet, physical activity,
Sixty establishments responsible for the serving of
and health. Fresh vegetables are thus present on the daily
collective meals in the municipality of Campinas or which
menu of foodservice establishments. Since they are perishable,
are headquartered there were located: 40 food contractors,
however, a constant supply is necessary. Although daily delivery
is often necessary, this can be reduced to three times per week 14 traditional hospital foodservice establishments, and six
if storage facilities permit. Moreover, such products are quite self-managed institutional foodservices of other types. Given
seasonal and fluctuate widely in price and quality as a function this population of 60 establishments and setting a confidence
of weather conditions throughout the year. level of 90% (considered acceptable due to the difficulty of
conducting this kind of research), with a population frequency
Various studies have investigated the kind of quality control estimated at 90% and a margin of error of 5%, a sample size of 38
program adopted by foodservices in Brazil (AKUTSU et al., 2005; establishments was determined (COCHRAN, 1977). Thirty-nine
GENTA; MAURÍCIO; MATIOLI, 2005; CAVALLI; SALAY, 2004; companies were thus randomly selected for interviews (22 food
BUCHWEITZ et al., 2003); although, few have looked specifically contractors and 17 autonomous institutional foodservice
at the supply of fresh vegetables for foodservice establishments. establishments, including hospitals, companies, and universities.
One of these (SCHNEIDER, 2006) verified a lack of specific When one establishment refused to collaborate, it was excluded
guidelines for the supply of such products, and suggested that the and another one was randomly selected to replace it.
failure to adopt requirements satisfying health and safety concerns
in the purchasing policies of the 33 hospital foodservices in the The collection of data from the foodservice establishments
city studied (Porto Alegre, in the State of Rio Grande do Sul) had took place between the months of December of 2004 and May
put the health of the consumers at risk. of 2005, and the person interviewed was the one responsible
for the certification of suppliers or for the purchase of fresh
Since so few studies investigate the safety of fresh vegetables vegetables. Two undergraduate students of the Faculty of Food
in the policies adopted by foodservice establishments, the Engineering of the State University of Campinas were hired
present paper was designed to analyze the purchasing policies from the student-administered Junior Company for Food
for such fresh and minimally processed vegetables adopted by Consultation and trained to administer the interviews.
foodservice establishments, both the autonomous and those
administered by food contractors, to ascertain whether these The instrument consisted of both open and closed
favor the purchase of safe produce. questions, and the main topics involved the classification of the
food establishment or foodservice contractor and the policy
used for the supply of vegetables. This questionnaire had been
2 Methodology
previously tested to maximize reliability.
The municipality chosen for this study was that of
Campinas, located in the State of São Paulo; it includes four The quantitative data of the research were organized in a
outlying sub-districts of Souzas, Barão Geraldo, Aparecidinha data bank in Microsoft Excel, 2003, and descriptive statistics
and Joaquim Egydio. Campinas has a population estimated at such as percentages and averages were computed. Comparative
1,061,290, with 98.33% living in urban areas. The municipality analyses were then made using a Chi-squared test or a Fisher
has an area of 795.70 km2, with a demographic density of Exact Test to measure the association of the variables in the
1,333.78  inhabitants/km². In 2007, 1,932 companies were study and a non-parametric Kruskall Wallis test, followed by a
registered, and they supplied 62,011 jobs. A total of 1,555 Dunn multiple comparison test were also used, and a confidence
hospital beds were available for recipients of national health level of 95% was adopted. The statistical software programs
care benefits (Unified Health Services or SUS), a ratio of 1.55 per used for the analyses were XLSTATE 2006 and MINITAB for
1,000 inhabitants in 2003. In that year, the city had 57 basic Windows, version 14.2.
health care units (FUNDAÇÃO... 2009).
A variety of different kinds of foodservice establishments
3 Results and discussion
were selected to be included in this survey, including both Most of the people interviewed had college education, and
public and private institutions; all had in common the regular 10 have obtained additional education and hold a specialist
serving of collective meals, and none of them received donations degree. Most of the 39 establishments included in the study were
of fresh vegetables. With regard to the institutions which hire food contractors (56.4% companies) or autonomous hospital
foodservice contractors, those were interviewed. foodservices (30.8%). Most served a maximum of 600 meals per
day; although, some served between 601 and 3,000 (Table 1).
Since no list of foodservice establishments was available,
the authors contacted the Program of Food for Workers and A ranking of the largest food suppliers in Brazil, published
the Brazilian Association of Collective Meal Suppliers, which by the Brazilian Association of Food Companies, reported the
are quite representative of such establishments, for suggestions, existence of 34 companies which serve a large number of daily

1098 Ciênc. Tecnol. Aliment., Campinas, 30(4): 1097-1104, out.-dez. 2010

 Rodrigues; Salay

meals (DONNA, 2005). Of the eleven supplying 50,000 or more that such products have low insertion in the market segment.
meals per day, eight administer foodservice establishments in Two of those were foodservice contractors and the others were
the municipality of Campinas. Five of these establishments autonomous institutional foodservices (two of the latter being
account for 40% of the collective meal market in Brazil, and hospitals). Two additional establishments did work with one
four of them operate in Campinas. It was thus concluded that type of minimally processed produce, nevertheless, it was not
Campinas is a good target for the study of the policies of large- served as a fresh vegetable, but rather used as a seasoning in the
scale food contractors in Brazil. preparation of foods, and the establishments were eliminated
This research investigated the frequency with which fresh from this consideration.
and minimally processed vegetables were used by foodservices. Minimally processed vegetables have been shown to
The national legislation states that fresh consumable products be subject to problems with microbiological contamination
must be hygienized to reduce superficial contamination, using (BONNAS et  al., 2005; BRUNO et  al., 2005; FURNALETO;
products approved by the Department of Health avoiding SANTINI; VELASCOS, 2005; OLIVEIRA et al., 2005; SANTOS,
leaving residues from the hygienic product in prepared foods 2007). Quality control of such products is certainly critical. An
(BRASIL, 2004). The State of São Paulo legislation specifies attempt was thus made to understand the aspects considered
that fresh vegetables must be hygienized by careful washing in to be the most important in the selection of a supplier for fresh
drinking water in the foodservice establishment prior to serving, produce, including that which has undergone minimal processing.
and if they are to be consumed raw they must be disinfected by Interviewees were given a list of 15 options and asked to indicate
immersion in a chlorate solution for 15-30 minutes, followed by the five most important involved in their selection of suppliers
rinsing in drinking water (SÃO PAULO, 2008). The legislation (with 1 for the most important and 5 for the least). Other criteria
also specifies that these procedures must be conducted by deemed pertinent could be included, if desired (Table 2).
trained workers in an adequate location.
Table 2 shows the conversion of the raw data to weighted
Minimally processed vegetables, on the other hand, are scores and the significance of the differences observed. The
fourth generation foodstuffs (PROENÇA, 2000) and arrive number of establishments indicating each of the evaluative
in the establishment already washed and ready to serve. The ratings (from 1 for “most important” to 5 for “least important”)
classification refers to the fact that the vegetables have already for each of the criteria is indicated. This overall evaluation was
been peeled, hygienized, and cut. Recently, a specific norm for then weighted, with an evaluation of 1 being given a weight of
identity and quality patterns of minimally processed and fresh- 5 (the “most important”) and one of 5 (least important) given
cut vegetables was published (SÃO PAULO, 2009). Certainly, a weight of 1; the result is then divided by 100, to give a single
this norm will facilitate the quality control of these products, weighted score for each criterion, and this was used for the
bringing gains to the industry and to consumers. statistical analysis. The criteria for the purchase of minimally
Of the 39 establishments studied, only 6 (15.4%) used two processed vegetables could not be analyzed statistically given
or more kinds of minimally processed vegetables, which shows the extremely limited number of establishments purchasing
them.

Table 1. Characteristics of foodservice establishments interviewed in Price was clearly the most important criterion considered
Campinas and outlying districts including type of administration, size for the selection of suppliers of both fresh and minimally
of unit, and education of person responsible for selection of suppliers. processed vegetables. An evaluation of the physical installations
SP, 2004/2005. of the supplier did, however, seem to be less important for the
Type of administration n %
selection of suppliers of fresh vegetables than for minimally
processed ones.
Self-management in hospitals* 5 12.8
Other autonomous unit 12 30.8 None of the other 15 original options proposed for the
Foodservices contractors 22 56.4 selection of a supplier were considered to be important by
Number of meals per day served by the ­ any of the establishments investigated and have consequently
estabishments interviewed been omitted from the table. These were: a) ease of deliver
Up 600 22 56.4 by supplier; b)ease of payment; c) previous evaluation of
production conditions; d) reputation of supplier in the market;
From 601 to 3,000 9 23.1
e) kind of transportation; f ) appearance; g) location for
From 3,001 to 10,000 4 10.3
hygienization of boxes; h)respect for food safety by practices
From 10,001 to 100,000 2 5.1 such as the implementation of good production practices; i)
More than 100,001 2 5.1 agility in problem resolution; j) respect for food safety control
Person responsible for selection of suppliers via implantation of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points
Level of education (HAPPCC) system ; k) food safety certification by purchasing
Specialist 10 25.6 establishment.
University degree 20 51.3 The production of vegetables is extremely complex, and
Hight school 9 23.1 the risk of food poisoning from such foodstuffs is recognized.
*In the hospitals, information collected included the number of meals served to patients Contamination can occur during various phases of the production
for lunch and dinner, as well as to accompanying persons and hospital employees. chain. One of the major causes is related to the utilization of

Ciênc. Tecnol. Aliment., Campinas, 30(4): 1097-1104, out.-dez. 2010 1099

 Food safety and vegetable acquisition by foodservices

contaminated water for irrigation, either during the planting safe practices during the production of fresh vegetables would be
phase, or later for pre-washing. Such contamination is very likely pertinent. Foodservice establishments should seek to purchase
to increase the number of bacteria, viruses, and enteroparasites safer products, and if they did, this would have a positive effect
present in the vegetables (HARRIS et al., 2003; SILVA; OLIVEIRA; on the food market. A program of quality control in foodservice
STAMFORD, 2003; FALAVIGNA et al., 2005). Another source of establishments should include the quality of the suppliers.
contamination is related to the use of agricultural pesticides. This The most efficient way of promoting this would, according to
contamination can reach dangerous levels if the pesticide is used Ferreira (2001), be the choice of suppliers that have implemented
in a greater concentration than recommended, or if the expiration quality control systems in their companies.
date of the product have not been observed (REZENDE, 2003;
ARAÚJO, 2000). People can also contaminate fresh products, For minimally processed foods, as mentioned above, the
and those who will handle fresh produce must be trained to be evaluation of the facilities of the food contractor tends to be
aware of the importance of hygienic practices throughout the considered important, possibly a reflection of the concern of
productive chain (FOOD…, 1998). establishments with the quality of a product which is supposedly
ready for consumption upon purchase (Table 2).
In vegetable production, the utilization of agricultural
chemicals in quantities higher than recommended, expired, This research has shown that most of the agreements between
or unauthorized can cause contamination (REZENDE, the suppliers of fresh and minimally processed vegetables, the food
2003; ARAÚJO, 2000). The control of agricultural chemicals contractors, and foodservice establishments are of an informal
in production should be improved, due to contamination nature (Table 3). This informality has also been recognized by
of vegetables, as well as ground and surface water. Good Farina, Machado and Kalil (2000), who showed the importance
agricultural practices protect the quality of water and human of trust and commercial sanctions in market relations. However,
and animal health. they also point out that as quality requirements become more
rigid, the tendency is to adopt more formal methods. Two of the
Packaging also plays a fundamental role in the reduction people interviewed work for establishments linked to the public
of the microbial level (ROEVER, 1998). Wooden crates should administration, and formal competitive bids must be submitted
be abolished, and legislation recommending this has been and evaluated before foods can be purchased.
suggested; if returnable boxes are to be used, establishments
should have an adequate location for their hygienization The lack of a legally-binding instrument between the two
(BRASIL, 2002). Moreover, the hygienization conditions of the parties can lead to the involvement of poor performing entities
vehicle used for the transportation of the vegetables should be in the sector since suppliers who do not fulfill the requirements
considered. of the foodservice establishment simply lose their customers,
and no further sanctions are imposed. On the other hand, some
This study has revealed that the evaluation of the quality
of the establishments pointed out the existence of long-term
conditions of production, the hygienizaton of crates/boxes, and
satisfactory arrangements with certain suppliers, some of which
the implementation of quality control methods were not given
have lasted for up to 10 or 20 years.
much importance by the foodservice establishments surveyed;
this suggests that actions designed by public health agents to Most of the establishments investigated do not impose any
promote the awareness of the risks involved in a failure to adopt special quality requirements perpetuating the lack of contracts

Table 2. Scores and frequency of application of criteria in the selection of suppliers of fresh and minimally processed vegetables, as reported by
autonomous institutional foodservices and foodservice contractors in relation to the degree of importance indicated. Municipality of Campinas
and outlying sub-districts; SP, 2004/2005.
Criterion Original rate* Score**
1 2 3 4 5
Criteria for fresh vegetables
Price 12 9 5 3 3 12 A***
Standardization of quality 2 7 2 7 5 6.3 B
Availability of variety 3 4 3 8 3 5.9 B
Dependability of delivery 3 5 4 5 1 5.8 BC
Pre-evaluation of physical installations of supplier 0 3 2 4.7 BCD
Availability of quantity 2 1 5 1 7 3.8 BCD
Criteria for minimally processed vegetables Score****
Price 2 - 1 1 2 1.7
Pre-evaluation of physical installations of supplier 2 - - 1 - 1.2
Standardization of quality 1 1 1 - - 1.2
Availability of variety - - 1 1 - 0.5
Kind of transport - 1 - - 1 0.5
*Sum of number of establishments evaluating criterion for each level of importance, with 1 indicating greatest importance**calculated by weighting each of the “1” ratings as five, each
of the “2” ratings as four, etc., and summing to get a total rating, which was then divided by 100; *** criteria marked with the same letter do not differ significantly (results of Kruskall-
Wallis and Dunn Multiple Comparison tests); **** The limited number of establishments using such foodstuffs made statistical analysis impossible.

1100 Ciênc. Tecnol. Aliment., Campinas, 30(4): 1097-1104, out.-dez. 2010

 Rodrigues; Salay

between the parties. Since some intrinsic quality attributes of 76.9% of the people interviewed reporting that no such demands
foods cannot be directly observed, systems guaranteeing quality had been made (Table 4). There was no association between the
must be adopted to protect the consumer. The existence of formal kind of administration and the setting of requirements designed
contracts tends to favor more tranquil business dealings, for to stimulate the projected development of suppliers so that
both buyers and sellers, while the specification of products and improved products or services would be supplied (Fisher exact
processes leads to greater guarantees of food safety (HOLLERAN; test; p = 0.7042). All of the 9 establishments reporting having
BREDAHL; ZAIBEL, 1999). Larger companies do tend to sign required some sort of change had requested immediate technical
formal legal contracts (Table 3). To verify the effect of strategies changes, such as uniformity of delivery service, standardization
adopted by foodservice establishments to protect food safety on of packaging, or modifications in transportation, and none had
the productive chain of vegetables, the interviewees were asked if developed training courses for the suppliers and their personnel,
anything had been done to stimulate the projected development nor were investments made in programs of cooperation which
of improved conditions and services by their suppliers. Projected would improve the processes of the supplier.
development is here understood as any change solicited by
the buyer in an attempt to improve supplier performance The same type of information was also sought in relation to
and services, whether in the short or long run. One example minimally processed vegetables. For one of the establishments
would be the undertaking of a program such as the training surveyed, the person interviewed reported that the food
of the personnel of a supplier in order to create the conditions contractor had started producing its own minimally processed
necessary to more adequately supply the needs of the company. products. Only one of the other five establishments using
The adoption of such a policy might require the investment of this kind of product mentioned the projected development
time and money, but it should definitely culminate in advantages of suppliers in order to provide better services, and what
for both parties. The objective of such a program would not was requested was related to uniformity in delivery and the
be limited to the making of immediate changes to reduce real standardization of packaging. No requirements were made by
or potential problems, but rather to increase the ability of the any of the other four establishments.
supplier to undertake its own changes (NEUMANN, 2002). The situation of minimally processed vegetables is the same
This survey has shown that only few of the establishments as what is seen for fresh vegetables. No requirements designed
surveyed made demands for modifications by their suppliers as to stimulate changes which would contribute to long-range
a condition for the continued purchase of fresh produce, with improvements in the services were reported. Even though, such
Table 3. Types of commercial arrangements among suppliers of fresh and minimally processed vegetables and autonomous foodservices /
foodservice contractors in the municipality of Campinas and outlying sub-districts; SP, 2004/2005.
For fresh vegetables n %
Partnership with supplier 23 59.0
Formal contract 4 10.3
Purchase directly from CEASA, and partnership with supplier 3 7.7
Purchase directly from CEASA 2 5.1
Formal open bid 2 5.1
Retail store and partnership with supplier 2 5.1
Retail store 2 5.1
Advertising arrangements* 1 2.6
Total 39 100.0

For minimally processed vegetables

Partnership with supplier 3 50.0
Formal contract - -
Formal open bid 2 33.3
Vertical integration 1 16.7
Total 6 100.0

Predominant kind of commercial arrangements in relation to mumber of meals served n (%)

Up to 600 meals - 22 establishments Partnership with supplier 13 (59.1)
From 601 to 3,000 meals - 9 establishments Partnership with supplier 6 (66.7)
From 3,001 to 10,000 meals - 4 establishments Partnership with supplier 3 (75.0)
From 10,001 to 100,000 meals - 2 establishments Partnership with supplier 1 (50.0)
Formal contract 1 (50.0)
More than 100,000 meals - 2 establishments Formal contract 2 (100.0)
*According to the person interviewed, the suppliers provide the vegetables for the foodservice establishment, and in exchange for it they receive the advertisement of their company
at events promoted by the establishment.

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 Food safety and vegetable acquisition by foodservices

a policy would certainly benefit both parties. Approximately half prior to signing a contract (SCHNEIDER, 2006), and similar
of the companies surveyed did, however, feel that they monitored data have been found in the present study.
the safety of the fresh vegetables supplied (Table 4).
The frequency of technical visits is actually quite important,
There is no association between the type of administration yet of the 18 establishments reporting undertaking them, only 3
and the monitoring of the safety of fresh vegetables (Chi-Squared (11.1%) do so as frequently as every 1-3 months. Some 50% do
Test; p = 0.855). Technical visits were made to monitor the safety so only once for certification, and two report that the norm is a
of vegetables by 18 of the establishments interviewed (46.2%); single technical visit prior to certification although further visits
however, two establishments reported that they monitor the will be undertaken if some sort of problem with the supplier
safety conditions of their suppliers without technical visits. arises (data not included in the table).
Research conducted in hospitals in the municipality of Porto
The regulation of the Center for Sanitary Vigilance of the
Alegre, in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, has found that most of
Secretary of Health of the State of São Paulo (CVS 18) (SÃO
these institutional foodservices do not make specific evaluations
PAULO, 2008) suggests that it is important to conduct technical
visits to investigate the operational conditions of potential
Table 4. Projected development and monitoring of suppliers of fresh suppliers in relation to raw materials so that these suppliers can
and minimally processed vegetables by autonomous foodservices and be evaluated and certified. The resolution 216 of the Collegiate
food contractors in an attempt to guarantee the safety of the food Directory (BRASIL, 2004) leaves it up to the foodservice
supplied, Municipality of Campinas and outlying sub-districts; SP, establishment what should be evaluated in the selection of
2004/2005. suppliers of raw materials.
Projected development and monitoring of Type of administration Only one of the five establishments purchasing minimally
suppliers of fresh and minimally processed processed vegetables from a supplier reported not monitoring
vegetables
food quality and not making technical visits. Two of those which
Contractors Autonomous
do make technical visits do so only for certification, whereas
n % n %
the other two do so every year. There is thus little control over
For fresh vegetables* the suppliers of minimally processed vegetables, and only one
Projected development of suppliers 6 27.3 3 17.6 of them reports regularly sending products for microbiological
Monitoring of safety of vegetables from 11 50.0 9 52.9 analysis every 4 months.
suppliers
Conduction of technical visits 10 45.5 8 47.1 Conducting technical visits to a supplier, reveals the concern
Frequency of technical visits of a foodservice establishment with the food items being
Once for certification 4 40.0 5 62.5 purchased. The lack of information about the processing of the
Monthly, or every two to three months 3 30.0 - - food (operational techniques, production practices, storage, and
Once a year 1 10.0 1 12.5 distribution, as well as the personal hygiene of the employees
Twice a year - - 1 12.5 and the conditions of the environment and the food itself),
No specific frequency defined 2 20.0 1 12.5 increases the risk of purchasing a product which is not suitable
For minimally processed vegetables**
for consumption. When products are purchased for immediate
consumption without further treatment, such aspects of their
Projected development of suppliers - - 1 33.3
production should be exhaustively analyzed.
Monitoring of safety of vegetables from 1 50.0 3 100.0
suppliers The need for scheduling technical visits to the facilities
Conduction of technical visits 1 50.0 3 100.0 of suppliers is also emphasized by Marinho and Amado Neto
Frequency of technical visits (2001) since these are necessary to provide a more complete
Once for certification - - 2 66.7 view of the system and processes involved including whether
Once a year 1 100.0 1 33.3 a company has the capacity to produce foods which meet
Relationship between technical visits n the quality specifications required. They suggest the use of a
involving purchase of fresh vegetables and (% total) checklist to help in this evaluation.
number of meals served
Up to 600 meals 7 (31.8)
4 Conclusions
From 601 to 3,000 meals 3 (33.3)
From 3,001 to 10,000 meals 4 (100.0) The results of this research have shown that price is what
From 10,001 to 100,000 meals 2 (100.0) usually determines the selection of a supplier of fresh and
More than 100,000 meals 2 (100.0) minimally processed vegetables. There are practically no formal
*The percentages referring to projected supplier development, safety monitoring, contracts between buyers and sellers in a market regulated largely
and conduction of technical visits were calculated as a function of the number of by trust and commercial sanctions. However, formal contracts
establishments in which interviews were conducted (22 food contractors and 17 are signed between supplier and foodservice contractor when
autonomous institutional foodservices). For the calculation of the percentages in relation
to the frequency of technical visits, only those establishments mentioning monitoring
the latter serve more than 100,000 meals per day.
were considered (10 food contractors and 8 autonomous institutional foodservices);
In general, however, foodservice establishments play only a
**Only six of the establishments reported using minimally processed vegetables, with
one food contractor informing that they produce their own; the percentages are thus minor role (or no role at all) in the stimulation of safe practices
based on the two food contractors and three autonomous institutional foodservices throughout the productive chain of vegetables. Technical visits
purchasing from a supplier. and microbiological analyses are rare, with the exception of the

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 Rodrigues; Salay

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