Elaboration and validation of an instrument for qualitative assessment of food preparations offered to workers

Abstract

The assessment of food preparations offered to workers, taking into consideration the use of ingredients according to the type of industrial processing, is important in order to promote the health of this population. This study aimed to elaborate and validate an instrument to qualitatively assess food preparations offered to workers by food services, focusing on the extent and purpose of the industrial processing of food ingredients. Methodological and multiple-case studies were conducted based on the realities of three food services. The instrument, which was denominated the Score for Qualitative Assessment of Preparations (EAQP), comprised ten questions that assessed the classification of ingredients according to the extent and purpose of industrial processing, as well as other Brazilian and international recommendations on healthy eating. This instrument can be applied in relation to at least four different preparations (salad, main course, side dish, and dessert) and classifies the quality of preparations into four levels of quality (high, intermediate, low, and very low). The instrument presented a satisfactory content validity index for scale in the two stages of content validation (0.940 and 0.966). In the discriminant analysis, the instrument was applied to 384 preparations and showed 98.44% agreement between the criteria for classifying the quality of the preparations. The EAQP is the first instrument to assess individual food preparations in a practical and easy way, taking into account the extent and purpose of the industrial processing of ingredients. The EAQP can be used in food services by professionals to evaluate the quality of preparations and to plan menus. It can help to replace processed and ultra-processed ingredients, contributing to promote healthy preparations for consumers.