Consumers' knowledge of the veterinary doctor's role in the milk production chain

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze the knowledge of residents of the cities of Aparecida de Goiânia and Goiânia, Goiás, about the role of the Veterinary Doctor in the milk production chain and, beyond that, it was questioned what care consumers take before purchasing and ingesting milk, also their knowledge about disease transmission by milk intake. During the month from May to July, 2020, a questionnaire was provided on Google Forms platform, containing 14 questions which addressed the topic. In total 230 people answered the form. Within the results obtained, it was observed that around 83.9% consume the product UHT milk (Ultra High Temperature) and 16.1% acquires it raw, of which 2.5% do not undergo the boiling process before consuming. In spite of 92.2% of respondents have the habit of consuming milk (UHT, raw) more than once a week, only 60.4% reported having knowledge of disease transmission. In addition, the data pointed out that of the 230 respondents 69 (30%) are unaware of the transmission of diseases by milk ingestion or the origin of the product. When questioned about the role of the Veterinary Doctor, 70.9% believe that this professional works in all areas available in the options, being them: animal nutrition, dairy inspection, milking inspection, milk quality and only 0.9% of the population total interviewed, stated that the Veterinary Doctor does not act in any area that was mentioned. Therefore, it concludes that most of the interviewees has knowledge about milk being a possible vehicle for the transmission of diseases, but a significant portion does not. It was noticed that there is a lack of knowledge among the population about the origin of the product they consume. With the final data of the research it is concluded that a high percentage of the interviewees who live in the cities of Goiânia and Aparecida de Goiânia knows the role of the Veterinary Doctor in the dairy production chain, being an important professional in guaranteeing Public Health.