This study was developed with the objective of identifying, through a comparison between France and Brazil, the factors pertinent to the adaptation of new technologies of collective food production in Brazil, regarding imported equipment and the process of an assembly kitchen, aiming at the improvement of both the quality of meals and the working conditions of the operators. The research involved the analysis of working conditions of the respective units in France and Brazil, considering the external and internal environment, in order to be able to determine the interfering factors, through a study of specific work problems mainly when related to organizational aspects, and to formulate recommendations based on the present situation and the desired goals. The results showed that in France there are good technical working conditions, consistent with the country's industrial development, and that the organizational conditions are variable, revealing influences, not only from industrial context but also from the social and demographic contexts. It was demonstraded that the experience and formation in service, as well as the insertion of the Food and Nutrition Unit in the market, can represent an important influence in organizational aspects. Concerning Brazil, it was concluded that technical working conditions are shown to be hampered, due to the inadequacies in the industrial context and that organizational conditions are in the process of adaptation, as a result of social and demographic influences, as well as those from industry itself. The recommendations involve several development matters: raw material and equipment suppliers, companies of the sector, catering workers representative entities as well as governmental ones, aiming at its evolution to enable satisfactory implementation and operational conditions of Food and Nutrition Unit using new technologies in Brazil.
food and nutrition units; collective feeding; food services; management; ergonomics; technology transfer
