Perceptions of Food Allergen Labeling in School Meal Service among Middle School Girls in Incheon

The purpose of this study was to suggest strategies for effective food allergen labeling in order to prevent food allergies in school meal service. Food allergy experience, eating behavior, and perceptions of food allergen labeling in school meal service were surveyed and compared according to the food allergy experiences of middle school girls in Incheon. Seventy-eight students (17% of total subjects) experienced food allergies. For eating behaviors, students with food allergy experience had significantly higher scores for using nutritional knowledge in their life than inexperienced subjects. For the perception of food allergen labeling in school meal service, girls who had experienced food allergies more often checked labeling of school meals for allergenic foods than those who had no experience of food allergies (P < 0.001). The most desirable method for displaying allergenic foods was an indication of the allergenic food name among students who had experienced food allergies and allergenic food number of the current method for students who had not experienced food allergies (P < 0.001). Students who had not experienced food allergies showed significantly lower interest in food allergen labeling than subjects who had experienced food allergies (P < 0.001). For the importance score of information items in nutrition labeling, allergenic food score was significantly higher in students who had experienced food allergies (3.9 vs. 3.4 points, P < 0.001). These results indicate that students who have experienced food allergies are more interested in food allergen labeling of school meals and that they are more aware. Efforts to improve labeling method such as directly labeling allergenic food name and a more visible indication are required for efficient utilization of food allergen labeling in school meal service.

School Dietitians' Satisfaction with and Needs for School Meal Service Support Centers / 대한지역사회영양학회지

The purpose of this study was to investigate school dietitians' satisfaction with and needs for School Meal Service Support Centers. A web-based on-line survey was conducted with 1,102 nutrition teachers or school dietitians using four School Meal Service Support Centers during the summer of 2011. The data from 578 respondents (52.5%), consisting of 165 (44.4%), 334 (53.4%), 41 (67.2%), and 38 (86.4%) dietitians using Seoul, Gyeonggi, Suncheon and Gyeongju centers, respectively, were analyzed. The main reason for using the centers was subsidies from local governments. The dietitians using the metropolitan centers, which were Seoul and Gyeonggi centers, tended to buy agricultural products through the centers only, and those using local centers, which were Suncehon and Gyeongju centers, bought those products from the private suppliers as well as from the centers. The dietitians' overall level of satisfaction with the centers was not high showing 3.3 out of 5 points; it was significantly associated with the operating system and services of the centers such as system efficiency, delivery accuracy, communication, and information provision rather than the agricultural products provided by the centers. The dietitians preferred joint operation of the centers by local governments and producers' groups. They wanted School Meal Service Support Centers to be evaluated every year. It was suggested that efforts should be made to improve the operation system and service of School Meal Service Support Centers for improving dietitians' satisfaction with the centers. In addition, an evaluation system for School Meal Service Support Centers should be implemented soon based on school dietitians' needs.