Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate the field applicability of school food services emergency meal menus during COVID-19 pandemic, intending to offer nutritious meals to students. Methods: Field visits were made to schools to investigate food service during the COVID-19 pandemic in August 2020. The homepages of various schools and the New Enterprise Incentive Scheme (NEIS) program were searched for the appropriate menus for the pandemic situation from May 27<sup>th</sup> to July 31<sup>st</sup>, 2020. Menus were developed for different grade schools, considering cooking convenience, nutrition, and menu preferences. The menus were nutritionally evaluated using the NEIS program and the field applicability was reviewed through focus group interviews. Results: The field visits revealed that quick decision-making reflecting the pandemic situation and suitable guidance by the school were the most essential requirements. Simple menu plans, precise guidelines, and diverse menus were also needed for nutritional satisfaction and minimization of the cooking/serving time. Thus, we established a new term, ‘emergency meal’, which substituted ‘convenience meal’. Providing the emergency meal menus could lower the infection risk through minimized mask-off time, dispersed serving time, and ensuring time for disinfection with minimized cooking/serving time. The menus categorized separately by school grades included rice balls, fried rice, bibimbap, rice with topping, and noodles. A two-week emergency meal plan was devised based on the school grade. Total calories, nutrient content, and food allergy information for the menus were provided. The feasibility of the suggested menus for the school food service was positively confirmed by the focus group interviews. Conclusion: The emergency meal developed in this study contributed to student mealtime minimization, effective school food production, and ensured time for disinfection under the circumstances imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic while simultaneously meeting the nutritional requirements and preferences of growing children and adolescents.
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