Avaliação do cumprimento de requisitos sanitários, físico-químicos e de bem-estar animal em frigoríficos de origem de carnes e produtos cárneos fornecidos a Institutos Federais de Educação

Abstract

Ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns is a global goal of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including the promotion of sustainable public procurement. In Brazil, food procurement by public institutions represents a significant portion of government purchases, making it essential to evaluate the potential environmental, social, and economic impacts these purchases may have. Therefore, understanding the origin and production process of the food acquired by public institutions is crucial for promoting responsible consumption and production. The objective of this study is to understand the origin of Meats and Meat Products (MMP) purchased by Federal Institutes of Education in Rio Grande do Norte (IFRN) and evaluate the compliance with hygienic-sanitary, physicochemical, and animal welfare requirements of slaughterhouses supplying MMP to the IFRN. A case study was conducted, using procurement data of MMP purchased through bidding processes by the IFRN from 2019 to 2022. The violations committed by the slaughterhouses supplying the MMP were identified through a database provided by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Supply (MAPA). Data from 9 bidding minutes were obtained, totaling 11 different types of MMP from 19 slaughterhouses, with 11 largescale and 8 medium-scale. No small-scale slaughterhouses were observed in the evaluated bidding processes. Among the MMP provided, fresh poultry meat had the highest purchase volume, with approximately 26 tons, followed by canned fish and fresh beef, with 18.6 and 13.3 tons respectively. A total of 577 violations committed by the source slaughterhouses were identified during the evaluated period, with 62% being hygienic-sanitary violations, 8% physicochemical, and 30% animal welfare violations. The data from this study show that 58% of the slaughterhouses where the MMP purchased by IFRN originated from during the evaluated period had some type of violation. It is concluded that the MMP supplied to the federal institutes mostly comes from large-scale slaughterhouses and that the main violations committed by the slaughterhouses were hygienic-sanitary violations. However, a considerable percentage of violations related to animal welfare were also observed. Promoting fairer public procurement requires the commitment of the managers involved, with the determination of criteria in the bidding notices that allow for greater supplier diversification and prevent the participation of companies that fail to comply with not only sanitary requirements but also animal welfare requirements.