Sanitary management practices were assessed to insure the safety of school foodservice, to prevent the outbreak of foodborne illness, and to improve the quality of school foodservice. To accomplish these objectives, a survey was conducted and analyzed...
Sanitary management practices were assessed to insure the safety of school foodservice, to prevent the outbreak of foodborne illness, and to improve the quality of school foodservice. To accomplish these objectives, a survey was conducted and analyzed on elementary and high school foodservice operations located in Seoul area. A Questionnaire from based on HACCP standards was developed and used for self-reported evaluation of the school foodservice managers on their sanitary management practices. The results were analysed by examining their activities and identifying weaknesses in those activities. The questionnaire was composed of three sectors with all 53 questions; 33 questions for time-temperature management, 5 for personal hygiene and 15 for equipment/facility sanitation. Five-point-scale was used on the questionnaire answers. Among the schools responded,253 (98.4% of the total) were elementary schools and 19 (1.6%) were high schools. Among the three sectors, personal hygiene performance was mostly well conducted by marking average 4.06$\pm$0.57. Equipment/facility sanitation came next by marking average 3.84$\pm$0.53. Time-temperature marked average 3.45$\pm$0.46. “Storage after cooking (2.03$\pm$0.94)”was identified as the least managed activities because the school foodservice operations were not equipped well with hot holding and/or cold holding. “Separate use of sink per usage (3.03$\pm$1.10)” and “proper location of hand washing facility (3.07$\pm$1.13))” were identified as the least practiced activities in equipment/facility sanitation sector. To enhance these practices, proper number of sinks and hand washing facilities should be equipped first within the kitchen area.