School Foodservice Operations Research Articles

Food Safety Culture from The Perspective of The School Food Service in Malaysia

Foodborne illness outbreaks associated with food produce suggest a focus on food safety culture within food safety management systems throughout food supply chains would benefit the school food service industry. The recent presence of food safety culture in food hygiene standards will drive the need for better understanding, integration into business activities, and monitoring, to help ease foodborne incidents in school food service industry. The purpose of this review was to identify definitions of food safety culture and methods of measuring its performance in the context of the Malaysia school food service industry. Investigation of how to better apply and integrate a positive food safety culture into existing food safety management systems was conducted. A roadmap for food safety culture improvement in Malaysia school food service is presented, highlighting the challenges and opportunities. Food safety culture can be developed by using feedback from regular culture assessments that identify weaknesses and opportunities for improvement, leading to increased knowledge, alignment of attitudes, and better food safety and hygiene behavior. Overall, the development of measurement tools specific to school food service operations would be beneficial. Despite unpredicted challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic, the Malaysia school food service industry continues to investigate the effectiveness of its food safety management.

Maintaining School Foodservice Operations in Ohio during COVID-19: "This [Was] Not the Time to Sit Back and Watch".

The COVID-19-related lockdowns led to school closures across the United States, cutting off critical resources for nutritious food. Foodservice employees emerged as frontline workers; understanding their experiences is critical to generate innovations for program operations and viability. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to characterize COVID-19-related foodservice adaptations for summer and school year meal provision. Public school district foodservice administrators across Ohio were surveyed in December 2020. Questions related to meal provision before, during, and after COVID-19-related school closures. Results indicate the majority of districts continued providing meals upon their closure in Spring 2020 (n = 182, 87.1%); fewer did so in Summer (n = 88, 42.1%) and Fall (n = 32, 15.3%). In Spring and Summer, most districts that offered meals functioned as ‘open sites’ (67.0% and 87.5%, respectively), not limiting food receipt to district-affiliated students. Most districts employed a pick-up system for food distribution (76–84% across seasons), though some used a combination of approaches or changed their approach within-season. Qualitatively, districts reported both “successes” (e.g., supporting students) and “challenges” (e.g., supply chain). Despite being ill-prepared, districts responded quickly and flexibly to demands of the pandemic. This analysis provides insight for future practice (e.g., establishing community partnerships) and policy (e.g., bolstering local food systems).

Challenges on the Implementation of Cook-Chill System in School Foodservice

This paper aims to identify the challenges of the cook-chill system implementation in school foodservice. In this qualitative approach, data were gathered through interviews with food contractors in seven different school in Selangor. Three issues, including a lack of awareness about the cook-chill system, inadequate management, and lack of training, were discovered using qualitative content analysis (QCA). The respondents believed the system was better suited for airlines or hospitals than school foodservice operations, which produced a large volume of meals everyday. This study could contribute a better understanding on the complexity of the cook-chill system, particularly for the school foodservice. Keywords: School foodservice; cook-chill system; challenges; implementation eISSN: 2398-4287 © 2022. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians/Africans/Arabians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v7i19.3265

Maintaining School Foodservice Operations During COVID-19: The Case of Ohio

ObjectivesCOVID-19-related school closures hindered the provision of meals to school-age youth nationwide, risking deficits in nutrition, health, and development. Foodservice staff faced substantial difficulties in their efforts to maintain foodservice operations. The state of Ohio, in which the prevalence of child food insecurity exceeds the national average (18.9% versus 15.2%), offers an illustrative case for exploration of these adaptations. The objective of this study was to characterize COVID-19-related foodservice adaptations, including impacts on both summer and school year meal provision.MethodsAn administrative representative from each Ohio school district was emailed in December 2020 and invited to complete an online survey. This cross-sectional analysis focuses on public school district experiences.ResultsAmong responding districts (n = 298 of 611, 49%), the majority continued providing meals after the Spring 2020 shutdowns(73%) and functioned as an ‘open site’ (63%), offering food to students’ families and households without district affiliation. Most schools offered meals either once weekly (41%) or once per weekday (30%) and offered an average of 3.7 days-worth of meals at a time. Half (48%) of the districts employed a pre-order system. Districts used various distribution methods: 76% had central school or district-affiliated pick-up point(s); 38% delivered meals to community location(s); and 34% delivered directly to some households. Supply chain disruptions led the vast majority of schools to seek USDA meal pattern waivers. Only 39% of districts maintained food service operations during summer 2020. The majority of districts were hybrid (59%) or fully online (24%) for at least a portion of Fall 2020, yet only 12% reported offering meal delivery or pick-up. Districts reported many “successes” (e.g., feeding students safely) and “challenges” (e.g., extra costs, poor parental participation).ConclusionsPublic school districts in Ohio made numerous COVID-related foodservice adaptations in order to serve both their students and the community at large, though districts reported poor utilization of this service. Future research should evaluate whether reduced access to school meals impacted child food security and food security-related outcomes during this period.Funding SourcesOffice of Research at The Ohio State University

Factors Influencing the Sustainable Practices in School Food Service Operations - An Application of the Extended Theory of the Planned Behavior Model -

Factors Influencing the Sustainable Practices in School Food Service Operations - An Application of the Extended Theory of the Planned Behavior Model -

The Gap between Perception and Reality: Obstacles to Public School Use of Produce from Small Local Farms in the Southeastern United States

Objective: Connecting farms to school foodservice operations is complex. Our purposes in this study were to: (1) identify and assess self-reported benefits and challenges to procurement and use of produce purchased directly from small farms in school foodservice operations, and (2) determine if opinions about procurement from small farms significantly differs between those with and without experience purchasing these products. Methods: An online survey was conducted with child nutrition directors from 3 southeastern states in the United States. Statistical tests assessed differences in opinions between those with and without experience purchasing with these products. Results: Directors without experience understood the benefits but significantly overestimated the difficulty in obtaining and using these products. Experience shaped director perceptions regarding perceived procurement challenges related to contract terms, ordering challenges, food safety practices, and ability of small farms to supply foodservice needs. Conclusions: Challenges exist in procuring produce from small farms (eg, lack of coordinated ordering, delivery, and communications processes, insufficient availability of products, and limited value-added processing). Sourcing products directly from these farms is not as onerous as perceived to be. Bridging

P46 Nutritional Composition of Breakfast Meals Served in All-Girl Intermediate and Secondary Public Schools in Mecca, Saudi Arabia

Background Several studies in Saudi Arabia indicated adolescents’ diet to be low in fiber, calcium, and vitamin D while sugar, salt, and fat content were high. Since adolescents spend half of their day at school, schools play an important role in students’ daily nutrient intake. Objective The objective of this study was to assess the nutritional content of breakfast meals (the main meal served) in Saudi Arabian all-girl intermediate and secondary public schools in Mecca as well as obstacles to serving healthier food options. Study Design, Settings, Participants This was an exploratory, descriptive study. Forty six intermediate schools and 43 secondary schools were randomly selected to participate in this study. The researcher visited each school and conducted a face-to-face survey on operations with foodservice staff and lists of foods served were collected. Measurable Outcome/Analysis Foods served were analyzed using Diet Analysis Plus, 10th Edition. Independent-sample t-tests were used to measure nutrient (calories, protein, fat, carbohydrates, calcium, iron, vitamin D, and sodium) differences between school types. Additional data on the school food service operations, staff and menu planning was collected through questionnaires. Results There were no significant differences (P > .05) between nutrient content of food served based on school level. Results indicated low content of calcium, iron, and vitamin D, and high content of sugar and sodium of foods served. Students’ refusal to purchase healthy food options (69% of all schools) and their preference for unhealthy foods were the main barriers to serving healthy foods. Most (76%) of the foodservice managers did not have a nutrition background but were responsible for food ordering and planning food lists. Conclusion Findings indicated that schools offered foods of low nutritional quality. The lack of nutrition-related educational background by foodservice managers as well as students’ preferences contributed to low nutrient density in the offered foods. There is a need for better training of staff as well as education of the students as to the importance of healthier dietary choices. Funding None.

Variability in Dietary Quality of School Lunches Meeting National School Lunch Program Standards by Socioeconomic Status and Rurality (P04-191-19)

ObjectivesRecent research suggests the possibility for significant variability in nutrient content and dietary quality (DQ) of school lunches, even when meeting National School Lunch Program (NSLP) nutrition standards. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there were differences in nutrient content and DQ by socioeconomic status (SES) and rurality, among middle school lunch menus meeting NSLP standards. MethodsAll 283 Kansas school districts were stratified into high and low SES groups (< 50% or > 50% of students received free/reduced-price lunch). Forty-five menus from low and from high SES strata (N = 90) were obtained from websites of randomly selected school districts for the same time period (first six weeks of school). Included menus were also stratified for analyses by rurality, determined by National Center for Education Statistics locales. Thirty days of each menu were portioned per NSLP standards for the middle school age group and per standardized assumptions across all menus. Portioned menus were analyzed for macro- and micro-nutrient content using ESHA Food Processor. Daily DQ scores were calculated using the Healthy Eating Index (HEI) 2015. Two-way ANOVA was used to determine differences in nutrient content and DQ by SES and rurality, with Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons. Effect size was calculated using Cohen’s d. ResultsEighty-five menus were included in final analyses. There were significant differences between high SES vs. low SES menus for added sugar (‒0.4 g or ‒80%, Cohen’s d = 0.78, P < 0.001) and calcium (5.3 mg or 1%, d = ‒0.22, P = 0.001) favoring high SES menus, and sodium (54.1 mg or 48%, d = ‒0.66, P = 0.001) favoring low SES menus. There were no significant differences in nutrient content between city, suburban, town, or rural locales (ps > 0.05). HEI scores did not differ by SES or rurality (ps > 0.05), with mean score and standard deviation of 62.0 ± 4.0 across all schools. ConclusionsThere were few differences in nutrient content and DQ with minimal clinical significance when comparing middle school lunch menus in Kansas by SES and rurality. Efforts to improve school lunch DQ should focus on all school foodservice operations, not specifically low SES or rural, although these schools may have other foodservice needs outside the scope of this study. Funding SourcesNone.

Knowledge and Misconceptions regarding Hand Washing as Perceived by the Food Handlers in School Foodservice Operations

The rising issue of food borne diseases due to unhygienic food preparation is burgeoning in our society. The risk of food contamination largely depends on the hygiene practices of food handlers. However, previous studies had shown that hand hygiene practices is often neglected by the food handlers. This study sought to evaluate the perceived hand washing knowledge among food handlers with reference to the proper hand washing procedure as well as the knowledge on appropriate times to wash hands. The study sample is comprised of 146 food handlers who were selected by means of random cluster sampling. The questionnaire used was adapted from previous studies on hand washing. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Findings revealed that hand washing knowledge scores among food handlers were high where 84.9% respondents had good knowledge with score ≥ 70%, 14.4% respondents had satisfactory knowledge with score range of 50 to 69%. Only one respondent had a poor knowledge of hand washing (score below 50%). However, outcome from the study also indicated that there are some misconceptions concerning proper hand washing practices and appropriate times to wash hands. Thus, leads to a conclusion that although food handlers had knowledge of how and when to wash hands, some of them shows that they had a misconception of a certain facts on hand washing.

Probabilistic risk model of norovirus transmission during handling and preparation of fresh produce in school foodservice operations

Human noroviruses (NoV) are recognized worldwide as important pathogens and the primary cause of foodborne disease outbreaks from contaminated food in the U.S. They are often transmitted by infected food handlers manipulating foods during preparation, such as fresh fruits and vegetables. This paper provides a study to model the transfer of NoV between food handlers and vegetables during salad preparation in school food services based on direct observation data. Three transfer pathways were modeled by considering different initial contamination sources (environment, handlers and contaminated produce). The probability of infection by NoV was also estimated based on the NoV levels at consumption obtained from each simulated transfer pathway. A scenario analysis ranging a wide concentration from 102 to 107 NoV infective particles was performed to represent different levels of NoV in the initial contamination sources. In addition, a sensitivity analysis was applied to identify the most important model inputs and determine the safest handling practices to be implemented in school food service operations. The pathway describing transfer from contaminated surfaces or handlers to foods indicated that initial levels of ≤104 NoV particles/fomite resulted in <0.5% cases per serving of NoV infection. When initial levels were higher, % cases of NoV infection was estimated to be ca. 3%. This rise in % cases of infection was linked to higher doses (5% serving with ≥15 NoV particles/serving) and prevalence levels at consumption (>0.2). In the pathway modeling cross contamination from contaminated vegetables to non-contaminated vegetables, all scenarios could lead to infected individuals, although number of cases of infection were lower (<1.3%), despite concentration levels were higher. On the contrary, for this pathway, prevalence was 2-fold lower than that observed in the pathways describing transfer from contaminated surfaces and hands. Based on the sensitivity analysis, NoV transfers to fresh produce may be minimized by improving hand washing, and therefore effective training programs need to be carried out specifically addressing hand washing. Moreover, the produce's washing step showed to be an effective control measure, depending on the desinfectant efficacy, by reducing % cases of NoV infection from 6 to 1%. The model in this study might be used, in the future, to evaluate the impact on the risk associated with NoV transmission of specific and effective training programs, aimed at food chain operators.

An empirical investigation of food safety culture in onsite foodservice operations

Limited studies have explored employees' perceptions of food safety culture in onsite foodservices, despite the growing recognition of the impact of improving food safety practices. A cross-sectional paper-based survey was conducted with nonsupervisory employees (n = 582) from health care and school foodservice operations (n = 51) in three Midwest states to assess food safety culture using an instrument developed and validated in this specific context. This study aimed to investigate the extent to which employees' perceptions of food safety culture differ based on demographic variables and operation characteristics (management system, size, and type of operation). Employees' perceptions of food safety culture were evaluated on factors of management and coworkers support, communication, self-commitment, environment support, work pressure, and risk judgment. Areas of strength and potential improvement were identified; significant differences found in employees' perceptions can guide development of interventions that support safe food handling practices in onsite foodservices.

It takes a village: community collaboration to promote consumption of dry beans in school meals (273.2)

Pulse crops, which include dry beans, dry peas, lentils and chickpeas, are nutrient dense foods rich in fiber, protein, iron, potassium and phytonutrients. Consumption of pulses is associated with increased satiety and reduced risk of chronic diseases, yet these low‐cost foods are not readily used in school food service operations. A unique collaboration of community partners aims to promote increased consumption of locally produced pulses among K‐12 students in Washington. In this pilot study, one elementary school (61% free &amp; reduced eligible) and one high school (45% free &amp; reduced eligible) were selected for the study, and 66 students were recruited to participate. Extension specialists from Agriculture and Nutrition developed four pulse‐based recipes. Food Service directors chose one pulse‐based recipe to prepare at their school and plate waste studies were conducted to assess students’ consumption. Elementary students had reduced pulse consumption while high school students had an increase in consumption. Results suggest development of recipes in closer collaboration with school food service directors could be an effective strategy to increase consumption of locally produced pulse crops in school food programs.

Efficacy of Cooling Beef Taco Meat and Steamed Rice in United States School Foodservice Operations

Food is frequently cooked, cooled and reheated for service at a later time in schools and other foodservice operations in the United States [US]. Inadequate cooling of food has been associated with foodborne illness. The purpose of this study was to determine if practices commonly used in school foodservice to cool beef taco meat and steamed rice would meet US Food and Drug Administration [FDA] 2009 Food Code standards. Prepared products cooled at 5.08 cm and 7.62 cm depths in stainless steel counter pans were placed uncovered in a walk-in refrigerator, a walk-in freezer (beef taco meat only), and a walk-in refrigerator with an ice water bath. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, including mean times and temperatures, with standard deviations. Cooling beef taco meat in a walk-in freezer at a depth of two inches and cooling steamed rice in a walk-in refrigerator at a depth of two inches with an ice water bath were the only methods that met both FDA Food Code time and temperature standards. Results suggest that challenges and risks exist with common methods used to cool food, especially if food volume is not reduced before cooling. Specific protocols for cooling procedures based on types of food and equipment are needed. These findings and recommendations are important for foodservice professionals who oversee food services and cooling practices in schools and other operations.

Can Schools Save Kids’ Palates? Cooking from Scratch in Schools—The Greatest Food Service Challenge of Our Time

School District Food Service Departments are faced with the enormous task of feeding children in the United States up to two thirds of the meals that they consume during the week at school. The shift in food production since the 1970s produced a trend away from scratch-cooked foods and resulted in more meals created from processed foods. The United States has reached a tipping point where the health of the current generation is compromised by increasing health risks of diet-related disease. Schools have been identified as a critical environment in which there is an opportunity to effect change in what children eat. As a result, in the last 10 years, there has been a resurgence of interest in freshly prepared meals in schools. This article explores one chef’s transition from the private sector to the public sector and the experiences of working with school districts to successfully transform their school food service operations into a scratch cooking model.

Parents' perception on middle school foodservice using environment friendly agricultural products (EFAP) in Masan area

The purpose of this study was to investigate parent’s perception of a middle school foodservice in Masan city, Korea that uses environmentally friendly agricultural products (EFAP). From May 29, 2009 to July 11, 2009, questionnaires were distributed to 350 parents of middle schools located in Masan city. A total of 295 responded and 276 (response rate, 78.9%) were used for the final analysis after excluding improperly completed questionnaires. First, 47.8% of the parents responded that they had participated in the school foodservice operation (receiving food, attending foodservice-related events, working as a meal service aid, evaluating suppliers). Receiving food (53.7%) accounted for the greatest proportion in the participating area. Second, most subjects (83.0%) responded that they were aware of the use of EFAP. Additionally, 96.4% of the subject approved expanding the use of EFAP for all items. Third, their degree of interest in the school foodservice was 3.86, and satisfaction with the school foodservice was 3.94 based on a 5-point Likert scale. The overall satisfaction on the quality of EFAP used in the school foodservice was 3.68 based on a 5-point Likert scale. Fourth, awareness that the school used EFAP in the foodservice by the parents who participated in school foodservice operations was higher than that of parents who did not participate. Satisfaction (4.10) with the school foodservice by parents who participated in school foodservice operations was significantly higher than that (3.79) of parents who did not participate (p ＜ 0.001). In conclusion, parent’s participation in school foodservice operations should increase to improve the quality of the school foodservice and improve communication between parents and the school. (Korean J Nutr 2012; 45(2): 113 ~ 123)

충북지역 학교급식 조리종사자의 위생지식과 위생관리 수행수준

The purpose of this study was to analyze employees' practice levels and knowledge of sanitation at school foodservice operations, to examine the sanitation conditions of current school foodservice, and to suggest an effective sanitary training program. A questionnaire survey was conducted on a total of 578 subjects and 501 reponses were made available for this study. The collected data was analyzed using SPSS of windows. The main results can be summarized as follows: Training through handouts was the most effective (53.2%) and lack of time caused by overwork (57.1%) made the practice of sanitation training difficult. The degree of employees' perceptions of the necessity of sanitary training programs was marked at 4.18 points. According to the foodservice employees' evaluation about the knowledge of sanitation concerning the sanitary training program contents, the area of environmental sanitation (96.3%) was the highest while food poisoning control (72.9%) was lowest. Foodservice employees' practice levels was ranked above 4 points (out of 5 points) in 9 areas. Practice levels of cleaning and disinfection management were highest while that of safety management was lowest. About the food service employees' practice levels of sanitation, the degree of practice and the application of knowledge was 4.39 points. There was a significantly positive correlation between the practice level of sanitation and sanitation knowledge(p<.01). Thus, educational material needs to be standardized in order to improve employees' sanitation practice level.

대구·경북지역 학교급식소 오븐 사용 효과 평가

The objectives of this study were to gain an overview of practices and effect evaluation of oven utilization at school foodservice facilities in Daegu and Gyeongbuk province. Out of 147 dieticians, who responded for questionnaires, 44 dieticians used the oven and 103 dieticians did not use the oven. All statistical analyses were conducted with the SPSS 14.0 statistical software program. With regard to the style of foodservice system, 74.4% were urban, 23.3% were rural, and 2.3% were remote country. Also, 23.3% of school foodservices produced meals by batch cooking. According to the results of the expected effect and using effect analysis for 27 items, the average of evaluation score about expected effect was 1.64 points and that of using effect was 1.61 points. Both expected effect and using effect had higher scores than average points in 13 items out of 27 items. Using effect had higher scores than expected effect in 4 items. In conclusion, using ovens could help to increase foodservice satisfaction of students at school foodservice, because it can improve the various cooking methods and the food safety management. Therefore, it is important to modernize and automate cooking equipment for quality improvement of school foodservice operations.

부산지역 학교급식 영양사의 이벤트 마케팅에 대한 중요도와 수행도 평가

Research Institute Human Ecology, Donga Unitersity, Busan 604-714, KoreaAbstractThis research was performed to acquire dietitians' attitudes toward events marketing at school foodservice operations in the Busan area. A total of 359 questionnaires were distributed to dietitians employed at school foodservice operations in Busan from July 1 to 31, 2006 (response rate: 93%). All dietitians assessed the importance and performance of event marketing at 3.39/5.00 and 2.78/5.00. The elementary and high school had significantly (p<0.01) higher average scores of performance of event marketing than those of the middle school. The contract managed foodservices had significantly (p<0.01) higher average scores of performance of event marketing than those of the independent managed foodservices. In the Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA), high importance and high performance (B area: doing great) were seasonal event, traditional festival day event, subdivisions of the seasonal event, environment event, school event, the day event and high importance whereas low performance (A area: focus here) was health event. Event marketing increased customer satisfaction and confidence. Therefore, these results suggest that there may be a need to implement special events at school foodservice in order to increase students' satisfaction. Key words: foodservice event, school foodservice, dietitian, importance, performance

학교급식에서 제공되는 숙주나물의 Staphylococcus aureus 성장예측모델 개발 및 섭취유효기간 설정

This study was conducted to estimate the shelf-life of cooked mung bean sprouts contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus according to storage temperatures after cooking in school foodservice operations. A predictive growth model of S. aureus in cooked mung bean sprouts prepared using a standard recipe was developed at 4 storage temperatures (5, 15, 25, and 35 o C). To determine the effect of vinegar on the shelf-life of cooked mung bean sprouts, the growth of S. aureus in sprouts prepared using vinegar and the standard recipe were compared. The R 2 values of the specific growth rate (SGR) and lag time (LT) determined using the Gompertz model were greater than 0.90 at all temperatures except 5 o C, which confirmed that it would be appropriate to use these parameters for a secondary model. The secondary model, which indicates changes in LT and SGR values according to storage temperatures, was calculated using response surface models. The compatibility of the developed model was confirmed by calculating R 2 , Bf, Af and MSE values as statistic parameters. The R 2 values of LT and SGR were 0.94 or higher, and the MSE, Bf and Af values were 0.02 and 0.002, 0.97 and 1.03, and 1.31 and 1.10, respectively, with high statistical compatibility. The growth rate of S. aureus was higher when the standard recipe was used than when vinegar was used at all temperatures. Indeed, no growth of S. aureus was observed in mung bean sprouts prepared using vinegar. Based on the model developed, cooked mung bean sprouts prepared using the standard recipe for school foodservice should be stored at 10 o C or less.

Effects of Ultraviolet Irradiation to Reduce the Numbers of Food-borne Pathogenic Microorganisms on Stainless Steel Chips

There has been a shift in food trends in Korea, due to an increase in income and changes in interest. Korean people have begun to prefer natural foods rather than artificial foods. Consumption patterns have shifted to a new culture called “Well-being” or “Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability”, and most consumers are demanding more fresh raw foods rather than processed foods. South Korean consumers consider that minimally processed vegetables have a beneficial effect on health. [Kim et al., 2006; El bieta et al., 2008; Urszula, 2008]. In Korea, large scale food poisoning outbreaks at school cafeterias and food service operations is increasing. According to a report from the Korea Food and Drug Administration in 2007, most cases of food poisoning in South Korea were caused by poor sanitation in cafeterias [KFDA, 2007]. Therefore improvement of cafeteria hygiene is necessary for many cafeterias and restaurants. Reports of food poisoning outbreaks over the 5 years has shown that the number of people affected has increased from 135 people in 2003 to 510 people in 2007 [Bae et al., 2006; KFDA, 2008] technically feasible and economically manageable solution to this serious problem is needed. Controlling microorganisms that cause food-borne illnesses is important in food safety, and increasing attention is being paid to physical, chemical, and biological methods for controlling food-borne pathogenic microorganisms, especially in food processing plants [Mackey and Derrick, 1979; Dickson, 1991]. Physical methods include high-voltage pulsed electric fields [Qin et al., 1995; Kim et al., 2003], oscillating magnetic fields, high hydrostatic pressures [Kalchayanand et al., 1994], sonication, ultraviolet (UV) irradiation, and microwave treatments [Shin and Pyun, 1997]. Chemical methods include the use of disinfectants and sanitizers, such as alcoholic compounds [Shin et al., 2001], quaternary ammonium compounds, iodine, acid/alkali solutions, [Yeon et al., 2006], and surfactants. Most food processing plants tend to use chemical methods due to greater convenience and lower cost. The use of chemical disinfectants is expected to increase in order to reduce the incidence of food poisoning associated with contact surfaces in cafeterias and other food-processing facilities. As of July 2007 there were 176 chemical sanitizers and disinfectants legally registered by the Korea Food and Drug Administration [KFDA, 2007] with standard methods. UV irradiation is an important physical procedure for water, tableware and kitchen utensil disinfection. The number of establishments using UV disinfection applications has been increasing [Oppenheimer et al., 1997; Rajala et al., 1997; Lazarova et al., 1998; Liberti and Notarnicola, 1999; Collivignarelli et al., 2000; Liberti et al., 2000; Lee et al., 2007]. UV disinfection typically kills bacterial spores, bacteria, and viruses, without leaving chemical residues. UV irradiation includes the electromagnetic radiation spectrum from 100 to 400 nm and is divided into UV-A (320-400 nm), UV-B (280-320 nm), and UV-C (280-100 nm) [Guerrero-Beltran and Barbosa-Canovas, 2004]. UV-C is considered to be germicidal against organisms where the highest germicidal effect is achieved between 250 and 280 nm. The maximum wavelength of 253-254 nm is normally used for disinfection of water, cooking utensil surfaces, various food surfaces, and liquid foods [Guerrero-Beltran and Barbosa-Canovas, 2005]. The advantages of UV-C are it is a non-thermal treatment, it has no unpleasant odor, and it has a low energy requirement when applied to foods, utensils, and water. The primary goals of this study were to evaluate the efficacy of UV irradiation disinfection techniques against z ·