46D-1 |
Food safety and the food service industry in Culiacan, Mexico |
H. G. ZAZUETA BELTRAN, Facultad de Contaduria y Administracion, Universidad Autonoma de Sinaloa, Ciudad Universitaria, Boulevard Las Americas y Avenida Universitarios, Fracc. Villa Universidad, Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico and S. Trujillo, Food Toxicology, CIAD, A.C. Unidad Culiacan, Carret. ElDorado K. 5.5 Ejido El Diez, Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico 80129, Current Address: Division of Natural Products (HFS 345) CFSAN, Washington, DC 20204. Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico, is an important developing city in Mexico and worldwide. Tourism and agribusiness-related travelers find Culiacan an important city to visit. Culiacan’s food supply requires special preparation because of the hot and humid climate in order to offer a wholesome final product. Good safety practices are required for health and quality assurance. The objective of this study was to evaluate the food service conditions in Culiacan, as well as the safety concerns of the consumers. Twenty food service facilities in Culiacan were evaluated for this study. For consumer concerns, ten randomly selected consumers were interview at lunchtime at each of twenty randomly selected restaurants. Surveys were conducted on the same day at the same time at each restaurant. Managers of each restaurant were given a different questionnaire. Consumer surveys included 11 multiple-choice questions related to food safety concerns. Management surveys included 11 questions related to knowledge of food safety. The survey’s output indicated that consumers were generally satisfied (53.5%), but preferred further improvement in hygienic standards (40.5%). 90.5% of the consumers were willing to pay more for a much safer product. 50% of the consumers indicated they had contracted gastrointestinal disorders as a result of food consumption in a food service facility, and 80.5% of those needed medical assistance. In comparison, only 30% of the managers recognized food safety as a consumer concern. 75% of the managers gave a satisfactory definition of food safety, and 73% considered food safety as a requisite of a specific population. None of the surveyed managers were familiar with the HACCP concept, and 55% considered the establishment of a food safety plan important. Culiacan’s food service facilities do not offer food of a high quality as desired by consumers. Consumers find food safety a major concern in the final product.
Session 46D, Foodservice
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