Hygiene and safety measures during the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated factors: a study in a sample of Brazilian food services
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12957/demetra.2026.92365Keywords:
Good manufacturing practice. COVID-19. SARS-Cov-2. Restaurant.Abstract
This study aimed to evaluate the performance of food services in relation to compliance with hygiene and safety measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and factors associated. A cross-sectional study was performed from May to August 2021 with 137 food services located in the Inconfidentes region, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to identify the factors associated with performance of food services in relation to compliance with hygiene and safety measures. The study sample was mainly composed of restaurants (35.8%) and snack bars/fast food places (22.9%). Only 30.7% of the establishments presented over 75% compliance with hygiene and safety measures. Having a dietitian on the team (OR=34.7), having an implemented good practices manual (OR= 4.5), decreasing in the operating hours (OR= 3.66), have difficulty in implementing the delivery service (OR= 3.74) and having difficulty to find guidance on security protocols (OR= 0.16) were independently associated with the likelihood of food service complying over 75% of the hygiene and safety measures. In conclusion, the prevalence of food services with more than 75% compliance with hygiene and safety measures during the COVID-19 pandemic was low. Strategies to reduce the difficulty faced by food service, as well as the presence of a dietitian and good practices guidelines may improve the performance of food services in relation to compliance with these measures.
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