Improvement of HACCP Verification Checklist in School Foodservices: A Case Study on Cooked Squid with Seasoned Fresh Vegetable

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was the improvement and modification of the HACCP verification checklist in school foodservices. For this, the HACCP verification checklist was modified on the basis of an existing school foodservice format. The modified checklist was composed of 28 items, including CCPs (critical control points), microbial test, and other components of the HACCP system than CCPs. To confirm the suitability of the modified checklist, comparisons were made based on the microbiological quality of cooked foods, utensils, and number of aerial microbes in the working area. In this study, the applicability of the modified checklist was determined by focusing on cooked squid with seasoned fresh vegetables (Ojingeochaesomoochim). The following results were obtained from 14 schools in Changwon. The checklist scores for maintaining hot foods over 60degrees C or serving within 2 hours, microbial tests of drinking water, food contact surfaces and cooking utensils, monitoring tools, and usage of suitable sanitizers were 2 points each (The possible highest score is 2 points). On the contrary, the checklist score for microbial test of cooked foods was the lowest of all the items. The correlation coefficient (r) between the improved checklist and microbiological quality of cooked foods was 0.699 (P<0.01), whereas that between the improved checklist and microbiological quality of cooking utensils was 0.612 (P<0.05). The correlation coefficient between the improved checklist and aerial plate count in the working area was -0.556 (P<0.05). Our results indicate the potential possibility of using the HACCP verification checklist in school foodservices.