Hygienic-sanitary conditions of school meals from Municipal Schools in Terra Boa, PR (Brazil)

All food needs to be free of contaminants, especially pathogens that may be harmful to health. The food security is achieved when strict quality control conditions are used during the preparation. The objective of this work was to analyze the hygienic-sanitary conditions during the school meals preparation. The research included microbiological analysis from food, hands of those handling the food, and the utensils used in the preparation. The samples analyzed, collected from eight schools, were of vegetables, the surface of hands, plastic bowls and chopping boards. Microbiological analyses were performed at the food microbiology laboratory of Integrado University of Campo Mourao, where the following microorganisms were researched: Coliforms at 35°C and at 45°C; mesophyll; Salmonella spp. and coagulase-positive strains of Staphylococcus according to the procedures determined by APHA and number 62 Normative. In the analysis of vegetables there were not positive results for Salmonella nor coagulase-positive strains of Staphylococcus ; but 12.5 % showed contamination by coliforms at 35°C, and 12.5% by coliforms at 45°C. All the samples of the hands showed contamination by mesophyll, 6.25% were contaminated by Coliforms at 35°C and 6.25 % by coliforms at 45°C. None of the samples of utensils was positive for Salmonella , however, 12.5% of them were contaminated by coliforms at 35°C and 12.5 % by coliforms at 45 °C. It is concluded that it is necessary the adoption of corrective and preventive steps in order to produce safe food in the analyzed schools.