Knowledge About Celiac Disease: Comparison Between Food Handlers And Culinary Arts And Gastronomy Undergraduate Students In Brazil

To evaluate the knowledge of food handlers and undergraduate students of the Gastronomy course about Celiac Disease (CD). A cross-sectional study was conducted with food handlers from restaurants and undergraduate students of Culinary Arts and Gastronomy courses located in the metropolitan area of Florianópolis, in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil. Data collection was carried out between May and July 2019, using a questionnaire. Forty six food handlers and 99 undergraduates participated. When asked if they had heard of CD, 58.7% of food handlers and 76.8% of undergraduates answered ‘Yes’, however only 10.9% of food handlers and 30.9% of undergraduate students answered correctly the concept of the disease. Regarding gluten, 95.3% of food handlers and 99.0% of undergraduates replied that they had heard about it. However, only 20.0% of food handlers and 45.4% of students were able to answer that gluten is a protein. Only 15.4% of food handlers and 37.4% of undergraduates correctly mentioned all gluten-containing cereals and 12.5% of food handlers and 28.6% of students correctly indicated all substitute options. When asked about conducting training on CD, only 7.1% of food handlers claimed to have received any training. The present study showed that the food handlers and undergraduate students in the sample presented unsatisfactory knowledge about celiac disease, gluten-free diet and culinary practices to avoid crosscontamination by gluten, which may interfere with the quality of services provided in restaurants and consequently with the quality of life of celiacs. The findings indicate the need for training of Brazilian food handlers on the subject and the inclusion of Nutrition subjects, with a focus on dietary restrictions in the Culinary Arts and Gastronomy courses in Brazil.