Dark kitchens e a invisibilidade sanitária: um panorama das capitais brasileiras

Abstract

Introduction: The expansion of the online delivery market has brought with it, especially since the Covid-19 pandemic, the spread of so-called dark kitchens in Brazil, demanding the attention of regulatory bodies. Objective: To identify the regulatory action of health surveillance services directed at dark kitchens in Brazil. Method: An online search for normative acts related to the regulation of dark kitchens was conducted on the official websites of the municipal health surveillance services of Brazilian capitals as well as on the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency (Anvisa) website. For the qualitative analysis of the documents, a literature search and narrative review of academic literature on the topic were carried out. Results and Discussion: The only Brazilian capital to have a regulation of dark kitchens is São Paulo. Even so, the publication of the law generated immediate controversy, and the court ruled for its partial nullity. However, the decree regulating the law remains valid, establishing technical criteria for the installation of dark kitchens, such as installation only in industrial and mixed zones, impossibility of classification as low risk. In turn, Anvisa recognized the need to include the topic in the 2025 regulatory agenda. Conclusions: Innovations in the field of food services require attention from regulatory bodies. The emergence of dark kitchens and the still incipient regulatory process are an example of how they are interconnected through the right to food, food safety and legal certainty.