Effects of 12-week Vegetarian Diet on the Nutritional Status, Stress Status and Bowel Habits in Middle School Students and Teachers

This study investigated the effect of switching normal diet to vegetarian diet rich in vegetables and fruits for school foodservice and home meal on the nutritional status, bowel habit improvement and stress reduction of teachers and adolescents. A total of 40 research subjects (26 students, 14 teachers) from one middle school voluntarily participated in the research. Questionnaire surveys and blood analysis were conducted before and after a 12-week vegetarian diet period. The participants were asked on their dietary habit, bowel habit and stress measurement. After 12 weeks, reduction of BMI (kg/m2) in the students (p < 0.05) and reduction of TC (mg/dL) in both teachers and students (p < 0.05) were observed. Also reduction of LDL-C (mg/dL) was observed in the teachers (p < 0.05) whereas serum calcium and Vitamin B12 was increased in the students and teachers (p < 0.005). The teacher's stress level was reduced (p < 0.05) after the 12-week vegetarian diet. As for the changes in bowel habit, the number of the students and teachers classified as experiencing functional constipation was decreased respectively from 10 to 7, from 7 to 5. Based on the result, it is considered that the vegetarian diet rich in fruits and vegetables improved general health status of study subjects suggesting that such a dietary habit would substantially contribute to improving nutritional status and bowel habit.

Prevalence of food allergy and perceptions on food allergen labeling in school foodservice among Korean students

PURPOSE: Prevalence of food allergy and perceptions on food allergen labeling in school foodservice among elementary, middle, and high school students were investigated in Korea. METHODS: A total of 1,000 elementary, middle, and high schools were selected in 16 cities and provinces of Korea and students attending the schools were surveyed using a questionnaire modified from the Korean International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood questionnaire in July 2012. Responses from 27,679 students were used for data analysis. RESULTS: The ratio of the students who had experienced food allergy was 12.6%; 7.6% of the responding students had food allergy reactions last 12 months and 6.8% of the students had been diagnosed for food allergy by doctors. Eggs, milk, peach, and crabs were the most frequent allergenic foods for the elementary school 1st graders, 5th graders, middle, and high school students, respectively, who had experienced food allergy last 12 months. The students with food allergy read menus more frequently and were more interest in food allergen labeling in school foodservice than their counterparts. Both of the student groups with and without food allergy perceived food allergen labeling important for the students with food allergy and their parents. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of food allergy and major allergenic foods varied by school years. The Korean students had positive perception on allergic food labeling in school foodservice. An effective food allergen labeling system for school foodservice should be developed and implemented that reflects prevalence, symptoms, and food allergens among Korean students.

Dieticians' Perception of Nutrient Preservation Management Practices during Meal Production by School Food Service in Daegu Area

The purpose of this study was to explore nutrition teachers/dietitians' perception towards production management practices as well as the importance & performance of nutrient preservation during production by school foodservices. A total of 120 school nutrition teachers/dietitians in the Daegu area participated in this study. The data were analyzed by descriptive analysis, t-test, and ANOVA using SPSS/Windows (ver 17.0). A questionnaire consisted of three dimensions with 66 items concerning the general characteristics of schools and respondents, production management practices, and perceived importance and performance of nutrient preservation. Exactly 79.2& of dietitians responded that scheduling of production management is necessary, and 52.5% of respondents perceived that their knowledge for nutrient preservation is of normal/average level. Thirty-eight percent of respondents did not establish scheduling of production management; according to them, cooking stage has priority over other stages of nutrient preservation. Perceived importance score was higher than perceived performance score in all stages of production management. The difference between perceived importance and performance in the production scheduling stage was found to be statistically significant. The results indicate that nutrition control point should be established and managed to prevent nutrient loss in all production stages. Further, dietitians who do not take measures to reduce nutrient loss should be carefully educated on the importance of nutrient control and be motivated to follow guidelines on nutrient preservation.

Satisfaction and Recognition Level of Environment-Friendly Agricultural Products in Cheongju Area / 대한지역사회영양학회지

The purpose of this study was to investigate basic data on the degree of parents' recognition and satisfaction with the use of environment-friendly agricultural products. The conclusions of this study are as follows. The survey on the use of environment-friendly products in households showed that 68.7% of the respondents used environment-friendly products at home. The frequency of purchasing organic products by household consumers showed that 25.1% of the respondents bought organic products one to two times per week. The most popular items of the environment-friendly agricultural products used were vegetables, comprising 63.9%. The households with more than 3,000,000 won of monthly income tended to consume more domestic livestock products (p < 0.05). In comparison to general agricultural products, environment-friendly agricultural products users showed higher satisfaction level with a better quality in term of safety, quality, nutrition, taste, appearance, diversity and price. The degree of satisfaction with safety was the highest (3.8 +/- 0.68), and price showed the lowest (2.76 +/- 0.79). The degree of parents' recognition of the governmental support for environment-friendly agricultural products showed that those who were aware of the supporting policy were 44.5%, but 55.5% of them didn't know about the fact that 46.6% of the respondents agreed that environment-friendly agricultural products should be used in more than 50% of the foods used for school food service. The respondents pointed out that vegetables (45%) sprayed with pesticide are the most urgent food item that need to be replaced by environment-friendly farm products.

Study on Job Satisfaction and Foodservice Management of Dieticians and Nutrition Teachers in Special Schools for the Disabled: Focused on Gyeonggi Area

This study examined students' menu preferences as well as the job satisfaction and specific considerations concerning foodservice operation of dieticians and nutrition teachers at special schools for the disabled. Semi-structured interview questionnaires were sent to all of the 21 special schools with direct school food service in Gyeonggi-do, and 16 dieticians and nutrition teachers agreed to participate in this study. Among the various menu groups, the subjects perceived the meat group as the most preferred and the vegetable group the least preferred. They were generally satisfactory with their job and duty, and had a strong sense of belonging to the school. However, most of them answered that they needed more time for nutritional education and counseling. While most had pride and pleasure in their job, they expressed a desire to change the system to better fit with their roles as professional nutritionists. The content analysis revealed that the subjects mainly focused on safety issues in planning the food menu and were thus limited in selecting menu items. They also felt difficulty in menu planning due to various tastes and preferences, since special schools tend to consist of a wider grade range. However, most subjects reported little trouble in food distribution and food leftovers owing to practical support from teachers and parents. The necessity for education concerning table manners and obesity prevention was generally a shared opinion, and education programs for parents were also perceived as necessary to better understand the special considerations for developing proper eating habits in their child. The study findings provide useful basic data to improve the foodservice system at special schools.

School Food Service Satisfaction and Menu Preferences of High School Students: Focused on Iksan, Cheonbuk / 대한지역사회영양학회지

The purpose of this study was to investigate school food service satisfaction and menu preferences of high school students in Iksan, Cheonbuk area. Self-administered questionnaires were completed by 692 high school students. Data was analyzed by SPSS 11.5 statistical software. Significant differences between genders were tested by the chi-square-test or t-test. The mean satisfaction score with school food service were 2.8 points out of 5 points. The satisfaction scores for menu (2.8 points) and food temperature (3.1 points) were low, but satisfaction with hygiene and facilities (2.7 points) and service (2.6 points) were lowest. The reason that high school students left food was 'the food taste is not good' (65.3%). The school food service areas needing improvement according to the subjects were food taste (39.3%), hygiene (24.3%). The mean score for menu preference was 3.7 points. The highest menu preference menu for the rice category was stir-fried rice (bokeumbap), for the soup was meat soup, for the kimchi was Korean cabbage kimchi. Based on the results we made the following suggestions: To increase the satisfaction with school food service, changes in the school food service policies are needed at the government and school levels. Efforts should be made to improve the taste of school food. The school food service menu should be improved by taking into account the preferences of the users. There is also a need for the development of nutrition programs like nutrition consulting linking students and family, and nutrition camps that will encourage correct dietary habits.

A Survey on Use of Environment-Friendly Agricultural Products for School Food Service by Dietitians in Chungnam Province / 대한지역사회영양학회지

The purpose of this study is to analyze the school dietitian's cognition, practical use of environment-friendly agricultural products to provide fundamental information for the qualitative improvement in the school food service. The results of the study are as follows: 1. It was clearly recognized that the subsidy for the school food service is generally insufficient, the amount of additional appropriate subsidy for the school food service was different according to type of school and roughly 300~600 won in each of foods needs to be supported. 2. The environmentfriendly agricultural products that were often used in the school food service were vegetables and grains. 3. In the analysis of cognition and problems toward using environment-friendly agricultural products, the dietitians recognized that environment-friendly agricultural products should be appropriately used. A reason that environmentfriendly agricultural products were better than general agricultural products was composed of a use of less additive, good ingredient, and good outer condition. 4. In the analysis of countermeasure on increasing environment-friendly agricultural products in the school meal service, the response to that more additional subsidy was necessary for the school food service. The highest and the most positive effects after using environment-friendly agricultural products were students' health improvement and improvement in parents' satisfaction with the school food service.

School Dietitians' Perceptions of Potentially Hazardous Food and Inspection of Food Safety and Sanitation

The purpose of this study was to identify school dieticians' perceptions on the Potentially Hazardous Food (PHF) and the inspection of food safety and sanitation conducted by Provincial Office of Education. Questionnaires were distributed to 400 school dieticians in elementary schools in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province, and 217 responses were collected. The majority of respondents (64%) defined PHF as food that easily decays at room temperature and over half of the respondents considered Korean cooked vegetables as a PHF. In addition, 4% of respondents completely excluded PHFs from their menus. Forty five percent of the respondents selected CCP rule 7 (delivery and distribution process) and 34% selected CCP rule 6 as the most difficult of the CCP rules to follow. Also, perceptions concerning food safety inspection and sanitation were not high in terms of validity, objectivity, and reliability among the evaluation criteria. The study results suggest that PHF as well as Potentially Hazardous Menu (PHM) definitions and guidelines should be re-established in consideration of traditional Korean food culture and the preparation of Korean foods.

Assessment of Food Safety Management Performance for School Food Service in the Seoul Area / 대한지역사회영양학회지

Effective and systematic sanitation management programs are necessary to prevent foodborne disease outbreaks in school foodservice operations. The purpose of this study was to identify the elements to improve in order to ensure the safety of school food service by evaluating sanitation management practices implemented under HACCP-based programs. The survey was designed to assess the level of hygiene practices of school food service by using an inspection checklist of food hygiene and safety. Fifty-four school foodservice establishments considered as poor sanitation practice groups from two year inspections by Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education were surveyed from September to December in 2005. Inspection checklists consisted of seven categories with 50 checkpoints; facilities and equipment management, personal hygiene, ingredient control, process control, environmental sanitation management, HACCP system and safety management. Surveyed schools scored 68.0+/-12.42 points out of 100 on average. The average score (% of compliance) of each field was 10.7/20 (53.3%) for facilities and equipment management, 7.4/11 (67.2%) for personal hygiene, 7.4/11 (74.1%) for ingredient control, 22.4/32 (69.8%) for process control, 8.9/12 (73.8%) for environmental sanitation management, 4.2/7 (59.7%) for HACCP systems management, and 7.2/8 (89.7%) for safety management, respectively. The field to be improved first was the sanitation control of facilities and equipment. The elements to improve this category were unprofessional consultation for kitchen layout, improper compartment of the kitchen area, lacks of pest control, inadequate water supply, poor ventilation system, and insufficient hand-washing facilities. To elevate the overall performance level of sanitation management, prerequisite programs prior to HACCP plan implementation should be stressed on the school officials, specifically principals, for the integration of the system.

The Factors (Job Burnout, Job Engagement, the Workplace Safety) Influencing Employees' Job Satisfaction in School Food Service Operations / 대한지역사회영양학회지

The study was conducted to investigate the influences of food service employees' job burnout, job engagement, and workplace safety perception on their job satisfaction. A survey was administered on 589 school food service employees in Gyeongbuk from December 5, 2005 to February 18, 2006. The final response rate was 71% (N = 416); the data were analyzed using SPSS Windows (ver. 12.0). A majority of the respondents were females (99.0%) and 40 years old or older (75.3%); 84% were temporary contract-based or irregular workers. Among the job burnout dimensions, exhaustion (2.98 +/-0.59) was rated higher than cynicism (2.33 +/-0.54), while professional efficacy level (3.61 +/-0.47) was relatively high. In terms of job engagement, the means of absorption (3.67 +/-0.49) and dedication (3.65 +/-0.52) were higher than that of vigor (3.22 +/-0.46). A systematic environmental level (3.15 +/-0.58) was lower than safety knowledge level (3.63 +/-0.49) among the workplace safety statistics, whereas the anxiety level (3.25 +/-0.74) was relatively high. The food service staff were more satisfied with 'supervisors' and 'co-workers' than with 'pay' and 'promotion'. A hierarchial regression analysis revealed that dedication, absorption, systematic environment, and safety knowledge were significant factors to increase job satisfaction and exhaustion which significantly decreased their job satisfaction.

Food Waste Management Practices and Influencing Factors at Elementary School Food Services / 대한지역사회영양학회지

The study was designed to investigate food waste management practices and to identify factors affecting food waste generation at school food services. A total of 202 dietitians employed at elementary schools participated in the survey. The mean food waste weight per school was 77.54 kg, forty percent of the schools generated food waste of 50~100 kg every day and 53% generated plate waste less than 50 kg. Three quarters of the dietitians perceived plate waste as a major component of the food waste and vegetable dishes were a major source of the plate waste. Half of the dietitians used a food waste pick-up service for waste disposal, which was the most preferred waste disposal method. Approximately 90% of the dietitians conducted education on plate waste reduction for students but their perceptions on the effectiveness of the education was inconsistent. The contents were environmental issues (70.3%) and unbalanced food choice (56.7%). According to factor analysis based on performance score, solid waste management practices were grouped into 'information collecting and education', 'supervision of production process', 'cooperation with related groups', and 'control over production planning'. Practices appertaining to 'cooperation with related groups', 'information collecting and education' factor need to be improved. Dietitians should pay attention to 'recycle and reuse of left over' practice. Waste generation differed significantly by dietitians' ages and working experience. In order to reduce plate waste, more effective education materials and methods need to be developed and support from principals, teachers, and parents is necessary.

Effects of Nutrition Education on Food Waste Reduction

This research was performed to evaluate the effects of nutrition education on food waste reduction at school food service. A dietitian conducted nutrition education on environmental protection and proper eating attitude and poor eating habits for 3rd and 5th graders at an elementary school in Seoul. The effectiveness of the education was evaluated by surveying the students before and after the education; 375 responses were analyzed. A questionnaire was designed to compare changes of the students' attitudes and plate waste before and after education. Plate wastes of boiled black rice(p<0.05), potato soup(p<0.05), amaranthus herb salad(p<0.01), and cabbage kimchi(p<0.05) decreased significantly after education. Students' eating attitudes improved significantly(t= -6.22, p<0.01) after nutrition education. Major reasons the students did not eat all foods they were served were large portion sizes (30.59%), low menu preference (29.79%), and tastes (17.82%). The menus with high plate waste rates were cooked vegetable items (35.64%) and soup items (26.6%). After education, students' attitudes on 'food waste pollutes the Earth(p=0.013)', 'food preparation for birthday parties(p<0.01)', and 'restaurant selection for eating out (p<0.01)' changed significantly. After education, plate waste and portion sizes that the students perceived were not negatively correlated. In conclusion, nutrition education on proper eating habits and source reduction is an effective method to reduce food waste generation and to improve students' eating attitudes and awareness on environment.

Amounts and Food Sources of Nutrients of Elementary School Lunch Menus by the Type of Foodservice and the Percent Energy from Fat / 대한지역사회영양학회지

This study was conducted to assess macro- and micronutrient compositions in school lunch menus based on the 'Dietary Guideline' for School Lunches. Ninety-five dieticians in elementary school in Chungbuk were asked to complete a questionnaire on characteristics of the school lunch program (such as type of foodservice, food production system), the information about dietitians (such as age, education, and job history), and the extent of the use of processed foods and frozen foods. They were asked to return the questionnaire with the menus including the name and the quantity of every food ingredient offered during a week. A total of 554 lunch menus provided for a week of June 2004 were analyzed. Average nutrient content per meal was as follows; 660 kcal, energy; 92.9 g, carbohydrate; 26.7 g, protein; 21.1 g, fat; 287 microgramRE, vitamin A; 0.5 mg, thiamin; 0.5 mg, riboflavin; 29.3 mg, vitamin C; 338.2 mg, calcium; 3.9 mg, iron; and 97 mg, cholesterol. Average percentages of energy from carbohydrate, protein and fat was 56.2%, 16.2%, and 29.0%, respectively. The mean nutrient content per meal was higher in rural-type than in urban-type schools. The weekly menu of 40% of the schools provided or =30% of energy from fat. The micronutrient content was generally high when the percent energy from fat was less than 25%. Our results showed that only 52.6% of the schools provided lunches with the energy composition as in the 'Dietary Guideline' of School Lunches. Whole Milk was the major contributor to fat, saturated fatty acid and cholesterol. We suggest that school foodservices start to provide low fat milk instead of whole milk to reduce fat, saturated fatty acid and cholesterol. If low fat milk is served instead of whole milk, percentage of energy from fat and saturated fat can be reduced from 29% to 25%, and from 10.2% to 9.1%, respectively, and cholesterol could be reduced from 97 mg to 79 mg. Efforts to meet 'Dietary Guideline' for School Lunches should be made, especially to reduce fat intake, while maintaining essential nutrient intake at sufficient levels for children.

Analytic Hierarchy Process Approach to Estimate Weights of Evaluation Categories for School Food Service Program in Korea

The purposes of this study were to (1) identify the evaluation categories, areas, attributes, and criteria of the school food service program using both a qualitative and a quantitative analyses, (2) define the relative importance of the evaluation categories, areas, attributes, and criteria of the school food service program using analytic hierarchy process, (3) organize the evaluation system to improve quality of the school food service in Korea. A survey was conducted from August to October 2004 to collect data from 172 dietitians, 15 school food service officials at the educational board, 10 professionals of school food service. Statistical analyses were performed on the data utilizing the SPSS 12.0 for Windows and Excel, such as Descriptive statistics and analytic hierarchy process was performed. The result of the analytic hierarchy process indicated that relative importance of evaluation category was 0.4319 (food service manage-ment), 0.2369 (nutrition education), 0.1455 (satisfaction) and 0.0912 (parent involvement program). 'Sanitation, safety and facility (0.1739)' was the most important area among the subcategories of food service management, followed by nutrition management (0.1581), procurement (0.1375), production (0.1345), organization and personnel management (0.0662), planning (0.0644), food service evaluation (0.0585), financial accountability (0.0555), and information management (0.0554). There existed a relative importance on the three areas of the nutrition program and satisfaction evaluation category: students (0.5281, 0.6221), parents (0.1812, 0.1491), and teachers (0.1838, 0.1618). In the parent involvement program evaluation category, relative importance of committee and monitoring management was 0.4658 and information communication was 0.3724. The quality of food and service to school children can be improved by the appropriate application of the developed evaluation tool for the school food service program.

Comparison Analysis of School Foodservice Dietitians' Job Satisfaction, Work Value, and Turnover Intention Based on the Expectation to be a Nutrition Teacher / 대한지역사회영양학회지

The purpose of this study was to identify the difference of school food service dietitians' work value, job satisfaction, and turnover intention based on their expectation to be a nutrition teacher. Also, this study explored the differences in expectation to be a nutrition teacher, work value, job satisfaction, turnover intention depending on demographics and school foodservice operational characteristics. This study surveyed dietitians who worked at school foodservice in Kyunggii and Daegu, Gyeoungbuk Province. A total of 509 responses were collected using on-site survey and online survey (59.3%). Dietitians expressed favorable work value (3.88+/-0.34) and mid level of a job satisfaction (2.99+/-0.64). The percentage of dietitians who had an intention to leave after the promulgation of a nutrition teacher system (13.2%) was lower than that of dietitians who had an intention to leave prior to it (23.2%). Most dietitians expected a salary rise (84.7%), more chance to teach nutrition education (76.0%), and the improvement of power not only as a teacher but as a dietitian (72.7%). Dietitians who had higher expectation levels to be a nutrition teacher (>3 on the 5 point Likert scale) showed a higher tendency of significant turnover intention (F=4.40, p<0.01) and more confident work value (F=15.292, p<0.001) when comparing those who had lower expectations. There were significant differences in work value, job satisfaction, turnover intention, and expectation to be a nutrition teacher depending on career length and employment status of dietitians. This study revealed that school food service dietitians have favorable expectations to be nutrition teachers with high work value.

Analysis for Internal Audit and External Audit of the Sanitation/Safety Management Performance for the School Foodservice in Gyeongbuk Area / 대한지역사회영양학회지

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of the characteristics of dietitians, the characteristics of school food services, equipment ratio of HACCP facility/equipment and perception of barriers to HACCP implementation on external and internal audit of food safety/sanitation management performance in school food service. An e-mail survey was conducted with 144 dietitians in Gyeongbuk Province. A response rate was 57.6% (N=83) and data was analyzed using SPSS windows (ver. 12.0). Dietitian perceived facilities/equipment-related and stakeholder-related as the big barriers in implementing a HACCP system. Total scores of sanitation/safety management performance for external and internal audit were similar at 92 and 91 out of 100, respectively. "Facilities/equipment" and "HACCP system" categories in both external and internal audit were rated the lowest. As dietitian perceived facilities/equipment-related (p<0.001) and stakeholder-related (p<0.05) barriers to HACCP implementation were greater, the scores of the external and internal audits were significantly lower. As dietitian perceived barriers for all categories were greater, the scores of internal audits were significantly lower (p<0.05). As a result of multiple regression analyses, the scores of the external audit was positively associated with career as a school food service dietitian, but was negatively associated with barriers related to facility/equipment, while the scores of the internal audit was negatively associated with barriers related to facility/equipment and employees. This study suggests that supporting programs on securing the facilities/equipment and employee training are needed for successful HACCP implementation in school food service.

The Study on Dietary Behaviors of Elementary School Student in Chungnam Area According to the School Food Service Type, Gender and Grade / 대한지역사회영양학회지

This study compared the food habits and attitudes towards dietary life culture in types of feeding management, gender and grade. The subjects were 352 elementary school students who lived in Seocheon, Chungnam. The independently managed school students were better than jointly managed school students in food habits (p < 0.05). In skipping school meals, upper grade students were skipped more than lower grade students (p < 0.05). In rate of eating school meals, boys were faster than girls (p < 0.001). The independently managed school students and the jointly managed school students were different on distasteful food. Boys disliked vegetables and girls disliked cereals and beans (p < 0.05). Upper grade students ate more well-balanced meals than lower grade students (p < 0.05). As for the question "what you will do if the distasteful foods are provided through school meals", they responded. the highest percent of students, "I will try once or twice". And the response "I have them for health" was higher independently in managed school students than the jointly managed school students (p < 0.05), girls than boy (p < 0.05), and the lower grades than the upper grades (p < 0.05). As for the question "what you will do if the distasteful foods are provided, after the guide for school meals was performed", the response, "I will make an effort to have it" accounted for the highest percents, and there were differences in lower grade students who were high percents than upper grade students (p < 0.01). As for the recognition for unbalanced diets, most of the students recognized that it is a "bad habit"; the girl students accounted for more percentage than boys (p < 0.05). The criterion of food choice were different in gender and grade (p < 0.01). As for the factor of influences for the food habits formation, lower grade students were "school education" and upper grade students were "parents" (p < 0.05). Thus, the systematic guide for proper intakes of nutrition should be performed. Also, the time when students can be educated by an expert of nutritional education, which is connected with school meals and students can grow healthily.

Students' Food Preferences on Vegetarian Menus Served at Middle and High Schools

The purpose of the study was to assess students'preferences on vegetarian menus served at middle and high schools. Four school food service programs that served primarily vegetarian menus were located in Seoul, Kyunggi, Kangwon, and Choongnam provinces. A total of 100 menu items frequently served at the schools were identified. Students participating in the school meals programs were asked to assess their preferences of the menus using a 5-point Likert-type scale(1 : very dislike ~ 5 : very like). Excluding responses with significant missing data, usable responses were 659. Statistical analyses were performed with descriptive statistics, t-tests, and one-way analysis of variance. Menu items of the highest preference scores included kimchi stew, stir-fried kimchi, nangmyon(cold noodles), fried rice and kimchi, miso stew, soft tofu stew, and hard-boiled quail eggs in soy sauce. By menu category, one-dish foods(3.97) were the most preferred and muchim and namul were the least preferred. Female students showed higher preferences on kimchi, steamed items(jjim), stir-fried items, namul, and muchim than male students; middle school students'preference scores were higher than those of the high school students in most menu categories. The menu preference is known as one of the most important factors determining students'food consumption and satisfaction with school food service. Dietitians working at school food service programs that serve primarily vegetarian menus should provide students with nutrition education on proper food selection and focus their efforts on developing new recipes using various vegetables and preparation methods to improve students'food consumption and menu preference.

Development of Performance Indicators Based on Balanced Score Card for School Food Service Facilities / 대한지역사회영양학회지

This study raised the necessity of developing performance indicators for measuring the management efficiency and effectiveness of school food service, and as a means of helping its implementation, a balanced score card (BSC) approach developed by Norton and Kaplan was adopted. This study established BSC in seven phases through literature: Phase 1 Defining a school food service and the scope of working activities, Phase 2 Establishing the vision of a school food service, Phase 3 Setting strategic goals, Phase 4 Identifying critical success factors (CSFs), Phase 5 Developing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Phase 6 Extracting cause and effect relationship, and Phase 7 Completing a preliminary BSC. The preliminary BSC was turned into a survey, which was administered to food service related people working at the Office of Education and School Food Service including 16 offices, 209 dietitians, 48 school administrators both from self-operated and contract-managed, and 9 experts in areas related to school food service. They were asked questions about strategics from 4 different perspectives, 12 CSFs, 39 KPIs, and the cause and effect relationships among them. As a result, among the CSFs based on 4 different perspectives, all factors other than "zero sum on profit/loss" from the financial perspective turned out to be valid. In terms of KPIs, manufacturing cost percentages, casualty loss count/reduction rates, school foodervice participation rates, and sales goal achievement rates were found to be valid from the financial perspective, while student satisfaction index, faculty satisfaction index, leftover ratio, nutrition educational performance count, index of evaluating nutrition education, customer claim count/reduction rate, handling customer claim count/reduction rate, and parent satisfaction index were found to be valid from the customers' perspective. Besides, nutritional requirement sufficient ratio, nutritional management score, food poisoning outbreak count, employee safety accident count, sanitary inspection assessment index, meals per labor hour (productivity index), computerization ratio, operational management index, and purchase management assessment index were also found to be valid from the perspective of internal business processes. From the perspective of innovation and learning, employee turnover ratio/rate of absenteeism, annual education and training count, employee satisfaction index, human resource management assessment index, annual menu-related customer feedback, food service information index for employees and parents/schools were also found to be valid. The significance of this study is to present indices for measuring overall performance of school lunch food service operations without putting any limitation on types of school food service management, and to help correctly assess the contribution of the current types of school food service management to schools and students.

Influences of School Food Service Dietitians'Job Satisfaction and Perception of Barriers to HACCP Implementation on Food Sanitation/Safety Management Performance in Gyeongbuk Province

The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationships between dietitian's job satisfaction and perception of barriers to HACCP implementation and food safety/sanitation management performance in school food service. An e-mail survey was conducted to 144 dietitians in Gyeongbuk Province. A response rate was 57.6%(N=83) and data were analyzed using SPSS Windows(ver. 10.0). Dietitians were more satisfied with 'supervision' and 'co-workers' than 'pay' and 'promotion.' Dietitians perceived 'lack of teachers' support on student education' and 'limited availability of facilities/equipment' as the biggest challenges in implementing a HACCP system. A total score of sanitation/safety management performance evaluated by school districts was 92 out of 100. By category, 'safety management' and 'personal hygiene' were rated the highest whereas 'facilities/equipment' and 'HACCP system' categories were rated the lowest. The food sanitation/safety management performance scores were not correlated to dietitian's job satisfaction, but significantly correlated to dietitian's perceptions of barriers to HACCP implementation. As dietitians perceived facilities/equipment-related barriers greater, the scores of 'facilities/equipment(p<.01),' 'production process(p<.05),' and 'total score(p<.01)' were significantly lower. The findings suggest that more investment on facilities/equipment are needed for food safety improvement and successful HACCP implementation in school food service. Proper facilities and equipment will make employees monitor CCPs and take corrective actions more easily.