Good handling practices of fresh shrimp sold in street fairs of Belém, PA, Brazil

Abstract

The application of good handling practices among market traders who sell fish in the Amazon region is a critical situation, due to consumption regional habits and preference for food acquisition in street fair and traditional markets. This research aimed to evaluate the fresh shrimp ( Macrobrachium amazonicum ) selling conditions in different street fairs and markets of Belem using a checklist based on the Brazilian legislation that refers to whole fresh fish. Seven fairs and three markets were visited in the metropolitan area ofBelem, where sixty vendors of fresh regional shrimp were interviewed with the help of a questionnaire that included parameters of environmental conditions of the selling, general aspects of human resources of the handlers, equipment and utensils, sanitization, and finally, general aspects of exposure. In the observation made by this research, 100% of the establishments had non-conformities in at least one of the parameters analyzed, thus indicating the urgency of public policies aimed at training in good handling practices to this target public as a health promotion policy.