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

ABSTRACT

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.