Street food: A critical and multifaceted study in Salvador, BA, Brazil

• Autor(a) principal: Leal, Cristian Oliveira Benevides Sanches
• Data de Publicação: 2014
• Outros Autores: Teixeira, Carmen Fontes
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Vigilância Sanitária em Debate
• Texto Completo: https://visaemdebate.incqs.fiocruz.br/index.php/visaemdebate/article/view/410
• topic: Comida de rua; Solidariedade; Planejamento e Gestão em Saúde; Vigilância sanitária; Gerenciamento do risco sanitário; Street Food; Solidarity; Health Planning and Management; Health Surveillance; Health Risk Management

This study aims to describe and analyze the present situation of street food in Salvador, BA, Brazil, understanding its specificities in different urban contexts. In this single case study, the data collection techniques included ethnographic observation, semi-structured interviews, use of images, and reading a local newspaper for one year focusing on three aspects related to the segment that include risks related to food, to the environment in which it is sold, and to workers. The results indicated significant shortcomings related to the analyzed categories: the diversity of foods sold, poor handling and storage of food; an unhealthy urban environment, with no access to water points, inadequate garbage collection, poor water drainage, and air pollution due to the large number of vehicles; and unskilled workers, without adequate standardization and subjected to constant social and environmental risks. This study highlights the need to adopt new ways to manage risks in this segment through health surveillance from an intersectoral and supportive perspective, given the object’s complexity and the socioeconomic, cultural, and nutritional importance of street food. It shows the difficulties that VISA faces in controlling the risks related to street food when acting only as a monitor, particularly in large urban centers, such as Salvador, BA.