Resumen:
The study analyzed changes in the eating habits of outsourced sanitation workers in Bahia during the COVID-19 pandemic, from a decolonial perspective. These workers, essential to society, suffer invisibility and marginalization in an environment that devalues social groups, especially in a sector marked by changes in the management model and increasing outsourcing. The scarcity of academic documents on health and outsourcing in sanitation hinders in-depth analyses. Information available from non-academic sources, such as unions, reveals serious health and safety problems for these workers. The adoption of privatization models and public-private partnerships in the sector has an uncertain impact on food and health, highlighting the need to assess the effects of these changes. The "health versus capital" paradigm is reflected in the precariousness of working conditions. Decoloniality, with its focus on valuing non-hegemonic knowledge, allows us to understand food practices as resistance to hegemonic thought and the standardization imposed by the capitalist system. The precariousness and management models of the sanitation sector demand actions that promote decent and dignified work, and the importance of understanding intersectional factors, union representation, and the relationship between health and food in the context of basic sanitation is emphasized. The study suggests greater oversight of companies and a review of public policies aimed at workers' health and nutrition. It also proposes the development of policies that address health and food issues considering cultural, social, and historical aspects. Valuing food identity and decolonial resistance can contribute to improving working conditions and the well-being of workers, ensuring that they are protected and have their rights respected.
