Manipulation in Industrialized Meat Products | Manipulação em produtos de carne industrializados

Super and hypermarkets commercialize a wide variety of foods of animal origin and its derivatives, acquired by the population as an important source of proteins. The adoption of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) in distribution networks and in commercialization represents an important tool to guarantee the quality of food, especially in the segment of processed meat products, due to its perishability. The objective of this study was to evaluate the application of good practices in the manipulation environment of animal products in supermarkets in the Metropolitan Region of Recife (RMR). The methodology used was the quantitative survey and action research during 30 days, with application of checklist regarding the handling and packaging of meat products with employees and managers of eight different companies of the retail network. The most frequently found nonconformities were deficiency in porting and the maintenance of the cold chain, visible microbial deterioration and packaging in unhealthy conditions, which may evolve into food-borne outbreaks. Therefore, it is necessary to constantly monitor BPM through regular training with the manipulators and employees, to ensure the correct execution of the activities and thus to commercialize industrialized meat products safely