Appropriate Size and Dish Combination of Nutritional-Balanced Lunch Boxes Delivered to Children Under the Government-Funded Meal Service Program in Korea / 대한지역사회영양학회지

The purpose of this study was to propose the appropriate sizes and dish combination for nutritional-balanced lunch boxes delivered to children under the government-funded meal service program in Korea. The study was based on the 3 : 1 : 2 Meal Box Magic, a nutrition education method developed in Japan. A total of 290 lunch menus, comprising of 10 day menus from 29 organizations having delivered lunch boxes to children during summer vacation of 2008, were analyzed and used as the base data for lunch box combination. Dishes of the menus were classified into 6 groups: Rice group, Protein side dish group (including meat, fish, egg, and bean dishes), Vegetable side dish group, Kimchi group (including kimchi and jangajji), Soup, stew group, and the other group. Nutrient analysis was conducted for 100 ml of these dishes by CAN Pro 3.0 utilizing volume and weight conversion data used for analysis of the Korea Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and those from the Nutrient Composition of Food for Consumers. All the possible combinations of 5 dishes, comprising of 3 dishes from Rice group, Protein side dish group, and Kimchi group, respectively, and 2 dishes from Vegetable side dish group, were made using the frequently served dishes from the respective dish group. Nutrient analysis of each combination was conducted based on the assumption that a lunch box was 600 ml and filled up to 80% by dishes using the volume ratio of 3 : 1 : 1.5 : 0.5 for Rice group : Protein side dish group : Vegetable side dish group : Kimchi group. The mean and standard deviation of energy and nutrients of all combinations calculated by weighting the serving frequency of each dish selected for the combinations were 621 +/- 81 kcal for Energy, 22.1 +/- 5.0 g for Protein, 120 +/- 45 mg for Calcium, 4.1 +/- 1.1 mg for Iron, 201 +/- 130microgram RE for Vitamin A, 0.34 +/- 0.10 mg for Thiamin, 0.27 +/- 0.10 mg for Riboflavin, and 24.3 +/- 9.6 mg for Vitamin C. The energy percentages from Carbohydrate, Protein and Fat were 66%, 14% and 20%. The analysis results met the nutrition standard of lunch boxes for male elementary students in grades 4 through 6 under the government-funded meal service program regarding calories, nutrients except calcium and riboflavin, and macronutrient distribution ranges. Accordingly appropriate box sizes were suggested for different age and sex groups to meet the respective nutrition standards. In addition, milk or dairy products were suggested to accompany lunch boxes to supplement calcium and riboflavin intake. The method of selecting box sizes and making dish combination suggested in this study could be useful for the organizations preparing lunch boxes under the government-funded children's meal service program where nutrition professionals are not available.

A Study of the Nutritional Intake from Lunch-Box of Middle School Girls in the Chonbuk Area / 대한지역사회영양학회지

The present study was conducted to evaluate nutritional intake by lunch-box of middle school girls who live in Chonbuk area. Anthropometric measurements and food intake from lunch-box over a three day period were investigated in a total of 110 middle school girls from rural (n = 37) and urban (n = 73) areas. The results are summarized as follows : 1. Not all the steamed rice in the lunch-box had enough mixed-cereal. 2. In the survey of food intake by food groups, 70.5% of the food came from the cereal group. 3. The intake of protein, phosphate, Vitamins B1 and B2, niacine and Vitamin E were adequate, however, the intake of other nutrients was significantly lower than those of one-third of the Korean RDA. 4. Protein, lipid, and zinc intakes of the students from the rural area were significantly lower than those of students from the urban area, however, the carbohydrate and dietary fiber intakes of those in the rural area were significantly higher than those of the students in the urban area. 5. The percentage of calories from carbohydrate : protein : lipid ratio was 67.6 : 12.2 : 16.9 for students in the rural area and 59.2 : 14.9 : 22.5 respectively for those in the urban area. In Summary, the intake of calcium, iron, Vitamins A, B6, and D, folate and zinc from lunch-box in middle school girls was much lower than that of one-third of the Korean RDA. The intake of carbohydrate and dietary fiber of the students in the rural area was significantly higher, but that of protein, lipids, and zinc was lower than that of the students in the urban area. Therefore, nutritional education programs for both students and their parents should be provided to improve the daily food intake from lunch-box.

A Survey for Working Plan of Secondary School Feeding in Seoul Metropolitan City and Kyunggi Province

The purpose of this study was to investigate a plan of middle/high school foodservice systems which could properly provide nutrition for juveniles' health. Questionnaires were developed and distributed to: 245 middle schools with 271 parentis, 328 students, 180 teachers, and 345 administrators; 163 high-schools with 223 parents, 466 students, 179 teachers, and 163 administrators in Seoul and Kyunggi province. The results of this study were as followed. For the desirable feeding type as in-school meal plan, 62.2% responded to the current elementary school feeing type;10.3% responded to a lunch-box prepared at home; and 38.0% responded to free dining out type. For a feeding operation type, school administrators, teachers and parents favored the current school feeding systems in elementary schools with proportion of 68.2%, 47.7%, and 87.6% as respectively. Also, 20.3% of school administrators, 22.6% of teachers, and 6.9% of parents preferred contract management. A total of 27.6% of teachers, 9.2% of school administrators, and 3.7% of parents responded to a lunch-box prepared at home. There was a significant difference between the responses for establishing the main body of financial burden to solve the problem of financial burden which could be the most obstacle to bring middle/high school feeding system into operation. For the management of school feeding systems when brought into operation, 88.7% out of 470 responded schools and 89.9% out of 227 responded teachers reported that an expert should manage school feeding systems. For futuristic direction, an effective joint cooking type between schools which may be the way to solve the difficulties in securing the appropriate space and to decrease the financial burden, the problem of transportation for delivering feeding products, low quality of feeding, and sanitation can occur. Therefore, the distance between schools which operate a joint cooking system will affect as a major factor. Furthermore, concrete examination of plans for introduction of various types of school feeding and institutional devices for management system and supervision of operation should become a condition precedent.