Food safety in cassava “flour houses” of Copioba Valley, Bahia, Brazil: Diagnosis and contribution to geographical indication

• Hygienic-sanitary profile of 72 cassava flour houses evaluated in Bahia, Brazil.
• None of the evaluated units reached an adequacy rate higher than 60%.
• Results showed food safety problems, in a traditional supply chain in the region.
• The findings reinforce the need for adoption of Good Manufacturing Practices.

Cassava is one of most important foods in tropical countries, and in Brazil, it is largely processed as cassava flour, which constitutes a staple food. Although cassava flour presents unique sensory characteristics, the majority is produced in artisanal units, which do not adhere to food safety guidelines. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the hygienic-sanitary profiles of the cassava flour houses of Copioba Valley, Bahia, Brazil. This was a quantitative, exploratory study involving 72 flour houses in the abovementioned region. To evaluate the flour houses, the checklist proposed by the National Service of Industrial Learning was used. This list comprises five dimensions: building conditions; equipment and utensils; workers in the production area, food handling, and sales; raw material and products displayed for sale; and production flow, food handling, sale and quality control. The results showed that none of units met more than 60% of the requirements, which is below the recommended cutoff and indicates poor hygienicsanitary conditions. Equipment and utensils made up the group with the lowest performance (4.54%), whereas the highest performance was observed in raw material and products displayed for sale (45.42%). All blocks were evaluated, and in all flour houses investigated, the results presented a major public health concern due to the abovementioned poor conditions. The study highlighted the problems of food safety in a traditional supply chain in the region. However, simple changes are possible, and these changes would not only have positive effects on the hygienic-sanitary profiles of flour houses but would also have an important social impact.