Impact of COVID-19 in meat industries located in DF and GO

Abstract

The SARS-CoV-2 virus, responsible for COVID-19, spreads more easily in crowded places, including slaughterhouses and meat processing factories, which employ over 560,000 workers in Brazil. However, there is still limited information on how the pandemic has affected meat processing plants in the Federal District and Goiás. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the main operational and structural changes adopted for disease control. The study involved the participation of 15 micro, small, and medium-sized companies, which together employ more than 1,500 workers in cattle, poultry, and swine slaughterhouses, meat processing units, and distribution centers. The study material was obtained through an online questionnaire directed at technical managers, agricultural inspectors, quality control teams and industry managers. The questions focused on potential structural and operational changes that occurred during this period, human resources and employee health, product logistics, and microbiological quality of the produced food. The statistical analysis revealed that 93% of the factories developed contingency plans. Among the changes implemented, 40% introduced a 1-meter distance between workstations, 33.3% increased the frequency of Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOPs), and 27% modified the layout of workstations to avoid face-to-face contact. Approximately 80% of the companies reported confirmed cases of COVID-19, with the majority (66.7%) choosing to isolate suspected employees and providing them paid medical leave (86%). Regarding finished products, there were challenges in customer delivery (71.4%), while 26.7% of the companies showed an improvement in microbiological quality. No establishments needed to close for procedure revisions related to pandemic control. The contingency plans followed Joint Ordinance nº 19/2020 (MAPA/MS/ME) and primarily aimed to ensure social distancing. However, promoting distance between workstations proved challenging due to the internal organization of meat factories. The pandemic recommendations did not replace existing legal obligations, and companies had to further emphasize their responsibility toward public health.