Brazil, with approximately 135 million inhabitants, saw a growth of 3.0% in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 1997, reaching a total of approximately US$ 806 billion. In relation to food consumption outside the home, recent research conducted in the main urban centers of the country showed that the population allocates an average of 25.5% of their food budget for food to be consumed outside the home. There is as yet no informatized system covering food-borne diseases, although it is assumed that such diseases have had drastic consequences, and research shows that food safety problems frequently originate with foodservices. One of the attempts to overcome failures of the market to guarantee food safety for the Brazilian population has been the adoption of the HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) system. The present paper was designed to estimate the proportion of foodservice industries which utilize GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) norms and the HACCP system in the county of Campinas of the state of São Paulo. It was also designed to evaluate the causes for non-adoption of the HACCP system, as well as estimate the costs of its implementation and maintenance.

The county of Campinas encompasses 22 cities with 2.39 million inhabitants, i.e., 6.7 % of the population of the state of São Paulo, living in an area of 27,079 km² . In economic terms, the region of Campinas furnishes 17.2% of the tax resources of the state and encompasses 7.5% and 7.1% of the industrial and commercial establishments, respectively. A list of the names and addresses of fooodservice industries was obtained, and a total of 56 companies were interviewed (52.8% of the total number). Two questionnaires were developed, one to survey the general characteristics of the company and verify if GMP norms and the HACCP system have been implemented, and the second to assess cost estimates associated with implementation and maintenance of the HACCP system. After pre-testing of the two questionnaires, they were applied and the people responsible for quality control of the companies were interviewed. Data collection took place during three months of 1998. A team of 8 students of the Faculty of Food Engineering were trained to collect the data; a senior research worker supervised the work and conducted the three interviews about costs which were granted.

GMPs and HACCP adoption

The majority of the food service establishments studied were commercial ones (84.0%), including food contractors (59.0% of the sample), while institutional food services represent 16.0%. A large number of the food service establishments analyzed (57.9%) are responsible for the production of only a relatively small number of meals, i.e., from 0 to 1000 meals/day. The majority of the food service establishments had implanted neither GMP norms nor the HACCP system (53.6% and 58.9%, respectively). Only 23.2% reported that they had adopted GMP regulations and 17.9% had adopted the HACCP system. The main reason given for non-implantation of the HACCP system was a lack of information about it (54.57%); this was followed by economic factors (15.2%), a lack of demand by customers (12.1%), and a lack of interest on the part of the company (12.1%). In the case of a lack of utilization of GMP norms, the most important factor was again a lack of information (66.8%), followed by economic factors (13.3%).

For the sample studied, the majority of foodservice establishments where GMP norms are not adopted produce fewer than 1000 meals per day (76.7%). All of those serving more than 50,000 meals had either adopted them or were in the process of doing so. The same is true for the HACCP system, with larger establishments having implanted it. The majority of those food services which have adopted the GMP norms (84.6%) and the HACCP system (90.0%) are food contractors. Of the four food service establishments in hospitals studied, only 1 has adopted the GMP norms, and none has adopted an HACCP plan.

Cost estimate for HACCP

Three food service establishments provided information about the costs of adoption and maintenance of the HACCP system. One was a self-managed industry restaurant serving up to ten thousand meals, and two were food contractors, one with a meal production between fifty and a hundred thousand and the other serving more than 100,000 meals. The time necessary for implementation of the HACCP system varied from 3 to 24 months. As was found in others studies, costs associated with the implementation of HACCP system of the companies are not separated from general expenses, so the results here have been based on estimates.

For the food contractors, the process of implementation implied the hiring of a consultant and the investment of part of the time of a manager. These costs totaled some $37,925.85-67,228.95 per unit administered for implementation. The cost of training also varied quite a bit, with values varying from $1,191.80 to 11,075.00 per unit administered for the two food contractors. The investment in materials to initiate the HACCP (thermometers, educational materials, etc.) was much more similar for the two contractors: $615.00 and 713.05/ unit administered.

The self-managed restaurant hired a consulting firm to implement the HACCP system. This consulting firm developed the plan and trained the employees, also providing follow-up services for maintenance of the system. In this case, the costs were in the neighborhood of $3,540.00 for implementation. Moreover, the company spent approximately $944.00 for materials. Of the three cases analyzed, the lowest implementation cost reported was $0.60 per mealday.

The process of maintenance involved disparate investments: from $445.05 to $4,306.20 per month. While one company invested relatively little in training and personnel, it faced additional expenditures in relation to laboratory analyses and cleaning supplies, another had relatively high costs for personnel, training and monitoring, but did not invest in laboratory analyses. When a consulting firm was involved, $1,062.00 per month was spent for the maintenance of the system (laboratory analyses, registration analysis, review of the HACCP and training). The ratio of maintenance costs/mealday was noticeably greater for the smaller self-managed restaurant ($0.33/mealday/month).

1. Marcia Buchweitz is a Professor at the Federal University of Pelotas working towards a doctorate in the Department of Food Planning and Nutrition of the Faculty of Food Engineering of the State University of Campinas. Elisabete Salay is a Professor in the Department of Food Planning and Nutrition of the State University of Campinas. The authors would like to thank Capes for furnishing the fellowship of the senior author and the GEPEA (Junior Company of the Faculty of Food Engineering) of the State University of Campinas for their collaboration in the field work.

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