Research project: educational actions with emphasis on hygienic-sanitary, nutritional and technological aspects aimed at the training of fishermen and manipulators of salty fish of the Ver-o-Peso complex.
In an attempt to reduce problems related to food-borne diseases (DTAs), the National Agency for Sanitary Surveillance (ANVISA) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply (MAPA) now demand the application of good manufacturing practices which process and commercialize fish, with the objective of assuring the quality of the food, by means of the evaluation and determination of points of contamination in the whole fish production chain. The effectiveness of these techniques depends on the awareness and training of personnel involved in the operations implemented throughout the fish production chain from capture to commercialization. Salting is one of the most traditional processes of food preservation mainly in the fishing segment. Although easy to apply, the salting process performed by fishers and fish handlers of the Ver-o-Peso complex is poorly conducted and widespread in most northern states. This has provided the elaboration of products with low commercial value.
The problems are even greater when one takes into account the profile of salted fish handlers who have low levels of schooling and, most of the time, lack knowledge for the correct handling of fish and prevention of risks and contamination hazards. The Ver-o-Peso Complex is the main point of disembarkation, processing and commercialization of salted fish production in the metropolitan region of the city of Belém and its surroundings. However, the salting process applied is totally empirical and carried out without the minimum hygienic-sanitary principles, generating a product of low quality and out of the minimum conformities required by the regulatory agencies of food quality and safety. Taking into account this background and associated with the existence of socioeconomic and cultural elements that are extremely relevant in providing data to subsidize public policy programs, in favor of better living conditions of these communities; this study proposes educational actions with emphasis on hygienic-sanitary, nutritional and technological aspects aimed at the training of fishers and manipulators of salted fish of the Ver-o-Peso complex, as well as combined applications of simple conservation processes aiming at the standardization and innovation of products based fish. It is important to emphasize that training is a fundamental aspect in the sense of including these workers in the market, besides enabling regional sustainable growth, work, income and quality of life for the residents of the region.
Project Coordinator: Antonio Manoel da Cruz Rodrigues.
Period: 09/27/2017 – 09/30/2019
Technical training of Ver-o-Peso fishermen
During 2013, the Program promoted several lectures, courses and training workshops aimed at salted fish vendors, belonging to the Salted Fish Vendors Association of the Ver-o-Peso Fair, in Belém do Pará. Coordinated by Professor Antonio Manoel da Cruz Rodrigues, the events aimed to reduce problems related to foodborne diseases (DTAs). The National Agency of Sanitary Surveillance (ANVISA) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply (MAPA) began to demand from the localities that process and commercialize fish, the application of techniques that aim to guarantee the quality of food by means of the evaluation and determination of contamination points throughout the fish production chain.
In this context, the Program proposed actions aimed at training fishermen through the full implementation of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), in order to qualify them to obtain a raw material and food-safe products. It also served as an object of study for the elaboration of a hygiene-sanitary quality management model in the salted fish marketing sector of the Ver-o-Peso fair that can be replicated in other fairs. As results obtained, more than 30 workers received certificates of completion of course on hygiene, handling and processing of salted fish. More information at: G1 Pará: UFPA project brings quality to Ver-o-Peso salted fish.