School Restaurant Research Articles

Monitoring of food handlers and their influence on the preparation of ready-to-eat foods

Introduction: Transmission of foodborne pathogens is related to inadequate sanitary conditions, which are derived from either the food preparation process or the person who prepares it. Food handlers are essential to preserve food innocuousness and protect consumer’s health. Objective: To evaluate demographic characteristics, hygiene practices, knowledge, work conditions and the presence of pathogenic microorganisms in food handlers at public school restaurants in Antioquia, Colombia. Materials and methods: The study evaluated 104 food handlers in a municipality in Antioquia. Demographic data and stool samples were collected to identify intestinal parasites, Salmonella spp., and Staphylococcus aureus. Results: The presence of intestinal parasites (e.g. Entamoeba Complex and Trichuris trichiura) was identified in 61% of female participants. Staphylococcus aureus was isolated from 49% of food handlers. Conclusion: Infection of food handler was confirmed, making them potential sources of food contamination. They are committed to their work and have the knowledge to preserve basic hygiene conditions. It is highlighted their importance and influence in adequate hygienic practices to minimize the risks of transmission, as well as the need for medical treatment and regular checkups of food handlers to counteract the risk to consumers.

Between good intentions and practical constraints: Swedish teachers’ perceptions of school lunch

ABSTRACT In Sweden, pupils eat tax-funded school lunches, often in the company of teachers. This article focuses on Swedish compulsory school grade (ages 7–15) teachers’ (n = 823) perceptions of the school lunch in terms of intentions and daily practice. Analysis was based on written answers for an open-ended question that was part of a questionnaire focusing on teachers’ attitudes towards school lunch as a pedagogical activity. It was found that participating teachers saw the potential of the school lunch, placing emphasis on the social interaction that takes place in the school restaurant and the possibility of meeting pupils in a more informal setting. However, a key outcome was teachers’ depictions of the struggle between ideals and reality with the effect that teachers were not always provided with favourable conditions for school lunch interactions. It is important to address this in order to improve meal-time practices and the experience of school lunch.

The school restaurant: ethnographic reflections in researching children’s food space

This paper presents a theoretically influenced discussion of methodological issues in carrying out ethnographic work at Peartree Academy. Food is central to our sense of identity. It draws on notions of the school restaurant and presents an account of the complexities surrounding the disorderliness of fieldwork in researching children’s food space. The aim of this paper is to explore how researcher identity needs to be considered within the relationship between discipline and social learning spaces for eating. Foucault’s concept of discipline is introduced in conceptualising the study. Key reflections place emphasis on the messiness of researching such spaces and offer recommendations for navigation.

Predictors healthy physical condition from Social Determinants in Colombian schoolchildren: Multicenter study

Abstract. Today it is necessary to analyze health and living conditions with the so-called Social and Economic Determinants approach as relevant variables to determine the healthy physical condition behavior of school children. The objective was to estimate the best predictive model of the Social Determinants of Health and of the healthy physical condition of Colombian school children. The present was a socio-sport study, through a quantitative descriptive statistical analysis. A total of 3458 school children aged 10 to 18 from 10 cities in Colombia participated. A survey was applied to establish the Social Determinants of Health and the healthy physical condition was objectively evaluated through the extended version of the ALPHA FITNESS battery. As results, the following were obtained: a higher percentage of 15-year-old men had a healthy physical condition, age, being active, unhealthy habits, leisure activities and body mass index, and socioeconomic level, coexistence and educational level showed a statistically significant association with healthy physical condition. It is concluded that the body mass index (BMI), the permanence of the father, the number of daily meals, being a beneficiary of a school restaurant, the number of hours that he sleeps at night, are the social determinants of health that are associated with the healthy physical condition variable, in turn, the binary logit model has a good predictive capacity (70.1%).

The political dimension of consuming animal products in education: An analysis of upper-secondary student responses when school lunch turns green and vegan

Addressing the consumption of animals as an educative and environmentally crucial question, this paper empirically examines the meaning of meat and animal consumption for learners in school settings. This study is based on focus groups with Swedish upper secondary students and is centred around their responses to a vegan month at their school as an initiative to emphasise the environmental consequences caused by human consumption of animal products. In order to make sense of the students´ responses in light of the disruption of animal products in the school restaurant, the school initiative is analysed as a dislocatory intervention. The analysis shows that ‘eating environmentally’ in education caused conflictual responses closely connected to political and gendered aspects of animal consumption. In conclusion, the author argues that a neutral or un-political position is not possible when animal consumption is on the educational table, and moreover, that there is a need to take political–conflictual responses seriously within education.

Food safety assessment and risk for toxoplasmosis in school restaurants in Armenia, Colombia.

We assessed the risk for toxoplasmosis in 10 school restaurants in Armenia (Quindio, Colombia). We analyzed the presence of Toxoplasma gondii DNA in the food, water, and living and inert surfaces of school restaurants, and we correlated these findings with the results of food safety inspection scores and with the prevalence of specific anti-T. gondii antibodies in children who ate at these restaurants. Of the 213 samples, 6.1% were positive using PCR to test for T. gondii DNA. Positive samples were found in meat, water, cucumber, guava juice, inert surfaces, and living surfaces. In 60% (6/10) of the public school restaurants, there was at least one PCR T. gondii-positive sample. In 311 serum samples from children who attended the restaurants, 101 (33%) were positive for IgG and 12 (3.9%) for IgM anti-T. gondii. The median of the compound score for the fulfillment of inspection for food safety conditions was of 60.7% (range 50-72). Higher T. gondii PCR positivity in surfaces, food, or water at each restaurant was correlated with lower inspection scores for water supply and water storage conditions. Lower scores in physical infrastructure and disinfection procedures and higher scores in furniture were correlated with a higher prevalence of IgG anti-T. gondii in children who ate at those restaurants. Inspection scores can identify restaurants with a higher risk for the presence of T. gondii.

Food protozoa safety assessment and risk in school restaurants in Armenia, Colombia

AbstractThis work assessed the risk of protozoa in 10 school restaurants in Armenia (Quindío, Colombia) by analyzing the presence of Cryptosporidium spp, Giardia duodenalis, Blastocystis, and Cyclospora cayetanensis DNA in the food, water, and living and inert surfaces of school restaurants and in stools of children who ate at these restaurants. Of the 213 food, water, and surface samples, 6.6% were positive using PCR to test DNA for Blastocystis; 3.8% for Cryptosporidium spp; 0.9% for G. duodenalis; and 0% for C. cayetanensis. In 187 stool samples analyzed via microscopy from children who attended the restaurants, 40 (21.4%) were positive for Blastocystis and 21 (11.2%) were positive for Giardia spp. Via PCR, 20 (10.7%) were positive for Cryptosporidium and 0 (0%) for C. cayetanensis. A higher positivity in children's stools for Blastocystis spp was correlated with lower compliance in property conditions and for higher positivity of Giardia spp in children's stool was related to lower knowledge by food manipulators. Inspection scores can identify restaurants with higher risk for protozoa infection.

SUN-PO298: Reduced Salt Content of School Restaurant Lunches Through Coordinated Interventions by a Health Network, with Kitchen Staff and Industrial Food Suppliers

SUN-PO298: Reduced Salt Content of School Restaurant Lunches Through Coordinated Interventions by a Health Network, with Kitchen Staff and Industrial Food Suppliers

The lived experiences of school lunch: an empathy-based study with children in Sweden

ABSTRACTSchool lunch is in general regulated through policies and agendas constituted by the perspectives of adults. In this article, we focus on children’s lived experiences of school lunch with a special emphasis on emotions and how they relate to social and physical dimensions. This study draws on empathy-based stories written by 10–11 year olds (n = 171) from schools in Sweden. We identified three themes: Interaction and exposure, Routines and restrictions and Food and eating. The children’s lived experiences of school lunch and the emotions attached to them are closely associated and intertwined with the socio-spatial dimension of school lunch. A pleasant meal experience seems to require harmonization between the physical and social space whilst negative experiences contain tensions between them, something that actors working with school lunch and school lunch environments should take in consideration when resourcing, planning and scheduling school lunch, and also when designing new school restaurants.

Family farming and institutional markets: analysis of the perception of Universidade Federal de Pelotas restaurant goers about a preferential shopping system

ABSTRACT: The purpose of this article was to investigate the perception of the students of the school restaurants of the Federal University of Pelotas (UFPel) on a system of preferential purchases. This is done through public calls that give preference to production coming from the family agriculture of Pelotas and region. A semi-structured questionnaire (survey) was applied focusing on the level of knowledge and information of respondents on what is family farming, on the aforementioned system and their respective social developments. It was verified that there are differences of perception according to the area of knowledge of the respondents. Meanwhile, there is great convergence regarding the importance of this system for the regional economy.

Isolation of Bacillus cereus in school restaurants in Colombia

Introduction: Bacillus cereus is recognized as a pathogen that causes food poisoning. It is a facultative aerobic metabolism bacterium capable of forming spores, which allows it to survive pasteurization and heating even by the gamma irradiation used to reduce pathogens in food. Objective: To study the presence of Bacillus cereus and its diarrheal toxin in rice and ready-to-eat cereals, flours, and starches in school restaurants in Colombia. Materials and methods: We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study of ready-to-eat foods distributed in school restaurants in the departments with the most and the least notification of foodborne diseases to the surveillance system. Results: A total of 479 samples were collected from eight departments, 74 municipalities, and 363 school restaurants, 63% of which were rice samples and 37%, starchy food samples; 9% of them tested positive for Bacillus cereus. In 91% of the samples that tested positive, the bacterium was isolated with the presence of the diarrheal toxin. Conclusions: In all the departments with B. cereus in the samples, the factors directly related to food-borne diseases were the handling of raw materials and the poor thermal treatment of food. Strengthening surveillance by stimulating research and reporting on outbreaks of foodborne diseases is important to improve the quality of information, to develop communication, prevention and intersectional coordination and manipulation measures, as well as to take the necessary actions to guarantee the safety of food and to eliminate the risk factors that may contribute to this problem.

Evaluation Du Système D’hygiène Dans Les Locaux Des Restaurationsscolaires, À La Région d’El Gharb Cherardabnihssen, Par Rapport Auxexigences Normatives Internationales

The implementation of hygiene system in the school catering is based on the application of good hygienic practice and regulations of food safety (security). These measures of hygiene contribute absolutely, in the elimination of the potential food risks susceptible to be at the origin of several diseases. This article presents the results of a study carried out to evaluate the degree of the respect for the sanitary conditions at the level of three school restaurants. The result of our study aims to determine the level of compliance of their hygienic systems to international hygienic standards. The rates of conformity of the sites of the study were of the order of 33, 60 %, 33, 00 % and of 48, 58 % respectively at the level of the establishment n°1, n°2 and n°3. The recorded results show apparently, the level of conformity with regard to the standards. In front of this situation, it is essential to plan and to implement relevant actions of improvement and to engage ways and resources to eliminate the noticed gaps and increase the level of conformity

浅谈县区学校餐厅食品卫生安全问题

民以食为天，食以安为先，食品安全重若泰山。学校餐厅是学生就餐的主要场所，与学生日常生活息息相关，关乎学生身体健康和生命安全，但目前学校餐厅仍然存在各种食品卫生安全隐患，因此，解决学校餐厅食品卫生安全问题势在必行。本文对山西省太谷县学校餐厅存在的各种食品安全问题做一系统的论述分析，以期为解决县区学校餐厅食品安全问题提供参考依据，为学校管理提供帮助，为学生生活提供安全保障。 Hunger breeds discontent, food safety is the first. Food security is more important issue than anything else. School cafeteria is the main place for students to eat, and it closely contacts with students’ daily life, health and safety. However, canteen food also has some potential hazards currently about the hygiene and safety problem. Hence, it is imperative to solve the issue on the hygiene and safety of food in school restaurant. This paper proposes a systematic discussion on the various issues of hygiene and safety about food in school restaurant in Taigu county in Shanxi province, in order to provide the reference for the solution of the issue on the hygiene and safety about food in school restaurant of county, which can also provide the effective measures for school management and security safeguard for student life.

Risk and accountability: Drivers for change in network governance. The case of school restaurants governance in a Swiss city

AbstractGrowing requirements for accountability and risk management put decentralized models of public governance under pressure. This article investigates the drivers for change from a completely decentralized, network-oriented model to a more centralized, and procedural governance model of school restaurants in a Swiss city. It focuses on the pressures and challenges that this municipality faces in terms of risks and accountability in order to identify the conditions in which network governance can be successful. We applied a qualitative approach that combined conducting 25 semi-structured interviews of main stakeholders and analyzing documentation. We found that increased demand for school meals from families, the perception of increasing exposure to insufficiently managed risks associated with growing accountability requirements constitute the main drivers for change to the centralization of certain risk-sensitive, costly, and low social purpose activities, thus providing the municipality authorities ...

Transformaciones y aspectos socioculturales presentes en el Programa de Restaurantes Escolares de Medellín desde 1961 a 2010

Introducción: La alimentación es un acto sociocultural complejo, que contempla dimensiones biológicas, nutricionales, políticas y sociales, y su imbricación hace que se presenten inequidades, como las situaciones de escasez y accesos a la alimentación por medio de programas sociales. El objetivo de este trabajo es identificar las transformaciones del programa de restaurantes escolares de Medellín (Colombia) e interpretar la percepción que tienen los beneficiarios de este programa.Material y Métodos: Perspectivas cualitativa e histórica; etnografía e historia del tiempo presente. La etnografía se realizó con escolares beneficiarios y sus madres y padres, concejales, coordinadores del programa, manipuladoras y nutricionistas. Para recolectar la información histórica, se revisaron informes y correspondencia del Archivo Histórico de Medellín y actas del Archivo del Concejo Municipal de Medellín.Resultados: El programa ha tenido diferentes modelos en la prestación del servicio y diferente cobertura; ha conservado la simpatía de los ediles y funcionarios de las diferentes secretarías. Este se configuró en los inicios, 1935, desde una visión de caridad, instituido por mujeres de la élite social, luego pasó por una visión higienista, nutricional, de derecho a la alimentación y por último, de seguridad alimentaria y nutricional. En los discursos y en las preparaciones suministradas se identifica la ausencia de referentes socioculturales.Conclusiones: Los programas de restaurantes escolares contribuyen a disminuir el sufrimiento generado por el hambre en escolares, pero no siempre son diseñados pensando en los aspectos culturales que comporta la alimentación.

Consecutive Outbreaks of Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli O6 in Schools in South Korea Caused by Contamination of Fermented Vegetable Kimchi.

Two outbreaks of gastroenteritis occurred in South Korea, affecting a middle school in the Jeollanam-do province in 2013 (Outbreak 1) and 10 schools in the Incheon province in 2014 (Outbreak 2). We investigated the outbreaks to identify the pathogen and mode of transmission. A retrospective cohort study was conducted in the Outbreak 1; and case-control studies were performed for the Outbreak 2. Samples from students, environments, and preserved food items were collected and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was conducted to identify strains of pathogen. We identified 167 and 1022 students who met the case definition (≥3 loose stools in any 24-h period) in the Outbreaks 1 and 2, respectively. The consumption of cabbage kimchi and young radish kimchi were significantly associated with the illness. Adjusted odds ratios of kimchi were 2.62-11.74. In the Outbreak 1, cabbage kimchi was made and consumed in the school restaurant and in the Outbreak 2, young radish kimchi was supplied by food company X and distributed to all the 10 schools in the Incheon province. Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) O6 was isolated from fecal samples in 375 cases (33.9%) and from kimchi samples. PFGE patterns of the outbreak strains isolated from cases and food were indistinguishable in each outbreak. The suspected food vehicle in these two consecutive outbreaks was kimchi contaminated with ETEC O6. We recommend continued monitoring and stricter sanitation requirements for the food supply process in Korea, especially in relation to kimchi.

Practical conditions for Home and Consumer Studies in Swedish compulsory education: a survey study

AbstractThe aim of the study was to map the field of internal and external conditions that Swedish Home and Consumer Studies teachers and pupils have contend with. A questionnaire was constructed and delivered online in November 2010. It contained 27 question covering teacher qualification, quality of premises and equipment, lesson time and collaboration, and the use of national syllabi. A total of 385 persons across the country answered the questionnaire; about 21% of those teaching Home and Consumer Studies in Swedish compulsory school during the school year 2009–2010. These respondents taught in a total of 392 compulsory schools, which equalled about 22% of the schools teaching grades 7–9 in Sweden. Almost a quarter (23%) of the teachers lacked formal training for Home and Consumer Studies. Respondents without an appropriate degree qualification included those trained as nursery school teachers, dietitians and civil engineers. As regards classrooms, while 88% of respondents reported access to fully equipped kitchens with stoves, sinks and work surfaces, 5% used regular classrooms and the remainder were obliged to come up with alternative solutions, such as using portable kitchens in regular classrooms or conducting their lessons in the school restaurant. This study raises many questions about the quality of Home and Consumer Studies provision in a number of schools. The local deficiencies in the nationally decided frame factors for Home and Consumer Studies found by the present study gives us reason to doubt that all pupils achieve the overall learning goals of ‘knowing in practice’ and making informed choices utilizing environmental, economic and health perspectives. This might affect the health and economy of the individuals in the long run, with implications for the national economy and public health. On the basis of these findings, we therefore recommend that current conditions for Home and Consumer Studies and how the subject should operate in schools become a focus for national debate.

A Comparative Analysis of Restaurant Websites and Hospitality School Restaurant Websites

This is a comparative analysis of industry restaurant websites and academic restaurant websites. The sites were evaluated with over 400 individual criteria in seven major categories including: technical specifications, technology used, site attractiveness, ease of navigation, ease of contact, marketing effectiveness, and legal compliance. This study highlights the areas where the sites are performing well, and those areas in need of improvement. By creating an index it is possible to compare industry and academic sites and create a “best practices” standard for comparison.

La place de la nutrition dans les enseignements scolaires

The place of nutrition at school has been examined by a working group in the context of the beginning of the French National Nutrition-health policy (PNNS). Three aspects have been reviewed: nutrition in the school programs; the actions on nutrition at school apart the programms, and the foods/diets offered to the pupils. Nutrition is already present in the programms, particularly in the life sciences, but is dispatched among various school levels, so that it seems to be difficult for the pupils to have a general overview of a healthy diet. Frequently, the link between theoretical aspects and the actual daily diet is missing. Moreover, programms often give a rural and artisanal view of the food chain, far from the reality. Only four points have been proposed for addition to the programs (maternal breastfeeding, salt, drinking water and industrial transformation of foods). Many activities concerning nutritional education, at the theoretical or practical levels, are possible at school, involving various but motivated people. The foods or diets provided at school continue to evolve, following the Ministery Circular on school restaurant, matinal snacking, automatic distributors of 1“junk foods”. The documents elaborated by the PNNS constitute valuable reference tools for all the actors in the school.

Urinary fluoride excretion in children using potassium fluoride containing salt or sodium fluoride supplements.

With the introduction of fluoridated domestic salt in France in 1986, questions have arisen with respect to its efficacy in caries prevention. It has been of interest to compare the urinary excretion of fluoride in children who consume fluoridated salt to that in children who take fluoride tablets. Ninety-three schoolchildren, 10-14 years of age, participated in the study and were divided into four groups: group I consumed fluoridated salt with every meal; group II ate at a school restaurant once a day and consequently consumed fluoridated salt at only their evening meal, as fluoridated salt is not authorized for use in collective restaurants; group III consisted of children taking fluoride tablets (1.0 mg F/day) exclusively, and group IV did not receive any systemic administration of fluoride for prevention and constituted a low-fluoride control group. Total 24-hour urine samples were collected from all subjects. The average daily urinary flow rates varied from 0.51 to 0.68 ml/min, but showed no statistically significant differences among the groups. The average urinary fluoride concentrations were 0.60, 0.30, 0.99, and 0.28 mg/l, respectively, for groups I-IV. The mean 24-hour urinary fluoride concentrations and excretion rates for children who consumed fluoridated salt at all meals (group I) were not statistically different from those using tables (group III). There were also no statistically significant differences between groups II and IV. The differences between urinary fluoride concentrations and excretion rates of groups I and III, as compared with group IV, were statistically significant.