[Policies and standards applied to municipal day care centers in Rio de Janeiro]

Day care centers were first established in Brazil with the aim of reducing infant mortality rates, however the incidence of foodborne disease transmission has been on the increase. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that each year 1.8 million deaths worldwide occur in children under 5 years of age, which is attributed to the consumption of contaminated food. However, Brazilian legislation does not provide specific rules of operation for day care center kitchens. Thus, the scope of this study is to research the standards relating to the operation of day care centers, discussing the health regulations related to food production. By means of a review of electronic pages of various government organs, the regulations inherent to the operation and production of food in day care centers were examined. After scrutiny of the twenty-seven pieces of legislation found, there is a concern with water quality, supply of food, the control of pests and vectors, structural conditions and food policies. In spite of this, it was seen that not all the surveillance policies for the quality of food offered in day care centers are effective. Also observed was the lack of a specific regulation that establishes the quality criteria for safe handling of food in day care centers.