Avaliação das autuações da Vigilância Sanitária municipal em serviços de alimentação em uma capital no nordeste do Brasil

Abstract

Introduction: The regulatory role of health surveillance implies inspection actions by drawing up infraction notices, which are not always publicized. Objective: To identify the publicity of Administrative Proceedings decisions established from assessments in food services by the Municipal Sanitary Surveillance of a Northeast capital of Brazil and to evaluate the punishments imposed. Method: Qualitative cross-sectional study, which used the technique of document analysis; the data were obtained from online consultation with the Official Gazette of the Municipality, from 2014 to 2018. Results: Between 2015 and 2018, 509 cases were found: 16.7% in 2015, 35.9% in 2016, 34.6% in 2017 and 12.8% in 2018. “Warning” was the most applied penalty, in isolation, followed by “fine”. Warning and fine were applied cumulatively with “product destruction”, in 11.0% e 4.9% of cases, respectively. “Total interdiction” was applied cumulatively, 7.7% with a warning and 1.4% with a fine. The most penalized services were: “restaurants and similar” (22.3%), “supermarkets and hypermarkets” (10.3%), “snack bars, tea houses, juices and similar” and “mini-markets, grocery stores and warehouses” (both with 6.9%). The highest percentage is of establishments that could not be classified (36.7%). Conclusions: There is publicity for decisions, but not for infractions. Systematization and evaluation of decisions on health administrative processes is an accountability mechanism and it can be an important health surveillance management tool. For an assessment of the risk factors minimized or eliminated by this tool, it would be necessary to know what motivated the drafting of the infraction notices.