Indicadores de sustentabilidade socioambiental em restaurantes no roteiro Caminhos de Pedra - Bento Gonçalves (Serra Gaúcha/RS)

Abstract

Gastronomic tourism is an activity that has gained prominence in the recent years, it can provide a unique experience of the cuisine and customs of a location, as well as enable the socioeconomic development of the communities. Innovations in restaurant management can contribute to the expansion of gastronomic tourism, therefore, the adoption of sustainability criteria/actions by enterprises can promote the optimization of their environmental, social and economical performance. Considering these factors, this study aims to propose socio-environmental sustainability indicators for restaurants on a tourist itinerary. To this end, interviews were used as a data collection technique using an interview guide, consisting of 63 questions and managers of seven restaurants located on the Caminhos de Pedra/Bento Gonçalves/RS/Brasil route were interviewed. Research participants indicated the level of importance of sustainability criteria/actions based on the Likert scale (ranging from 1 - least importance - to 5 - greatest importance). Using the results, the coefficient of variation was calculated for each criterion/action. Subsequently, these results were hierarchized and applied to propose socio-environmental performance indicators for restaurants. Some of the sustainability criteria/actions deserve to be highlighted, as they have received a high level of importance from managers, they are: acquisition of food from small producers or of local origin, indication of substitute dishes to meet dietary restrictions, standardization of recipes by through the use of preparation sheets, use of technologies to reduce energy consumption, recovery of frying oil, adoption of effluent treatment systems, waste segregation considering their types, participation in projects focused on valuing local culture, carrying out training for employees with a focus on reducing waste and environmental education for customers aimed at tourist visits to the region. Food waste, according to participants, is concentrated in the post-production stage, and it is important to adopt strategies to reduce it. The adoption of innovations was rated as a relevant action by research participants. Changes in restaurant operations during the pandemic period result from compliance with National Health Surveillance Agency guidelines (Anvisa, 2020). The proposed social and environmental performance indicators were grouped as essential (8 categories and 55 indicators); complementary (8 categories and 30 indicators) and improvement (7 categories and 21 indicators). Socio-environmental sustainability indicators allow the restaurant to determine its level of evolution in terms of sustainability and can be considered a tool for improving the management of a gastronomic establishment. [resumo fornecido pelo autor]