Lunch supply in public primary school canteens in Zhejiang Province / 中国学校卫生

ABSTRACT

Objective@#To investigate lunch supply of public primary school canteens in Zhejiang Province, and to provide a basis for the scientific guidance of school lunch.@*Methods@#During May to Jun. and Sept. to Oct. in 2019, lunch food supply was weighed and recorded and the number of diners in 44 public primary school canteens were summarized. Each investigation lasted for one week.@*Results@#Food was mainly based on the taste of the students (40.91%) in the school canteen. About 45.45% of the schools referred to the Nutrition Guidelines of School Meals for students meals when making recipes in the school canteen. The supplies of cereals, vegetables, fruits, livestock and poultry meat, fish and shrimp, eggs, milk, soybean nuts, vegetable oil and salt were 109.05, 118.01, 0, 63.96, 9.25, 11.31, 0, 10.68, 10.47, 2.54 g. The supply of vegetable oil was basically the same as the recommended amount ( P >0.05). The supplies of energy, protein, calcium, iron, zinc, vitamin A, vitamin B 1, vitamin B 2, vitamin C, dietary fiber were 820.84 kcal, 32.79 g, 164.18 mg, 7.84 mg, 4.71 mg, 23.07 μgRAE, 0.41 mg, 0.35 mg, 20.47 mg, 2.34 g, 37.56% of energy from fat and 48.47% of energy from carbohydrate. The supply of vitamin B 1 was basically the same as the recommended amount ( P >0.05). There were no significant differences in all kinds of food and nutrients between urban and rural primary schools ( P >0.05).@*Conclusion@#Lunch supply is not optimistic in public primary school canteens in Zhejiang Province, with unreasonable structure and fails to agree with current nutritional recommendations. It is suggested that the scientific guidance of students meals should be carried out according to the survey results combined with the characteristics of local diet.