Objectives This study aimed to analyze menu patterns and food group diversity in daycare centers managed by the Center for Children's Foodservice Management in South Korea.
Methods Data from 18 Center for Children's Foodservice Management centers across various provinces (excluding Jeju Island) were analyzed. We examined 8,796 meals served in February, May, August, and December 2021, focusing on seasonal lunch and snack menus for children aged 3-5. Foods were categorized into 19 groups for lunch and 21 for snacks. The frequency of food groups and dietary patterns were assessed using the Dietary Diversity Score. Analyses were conducted using Excel 2016 and IBM SPSS Statistics version 28.
Results Most lunch menus (89%) included five menu items, with a ratio of grain, meat, and vegetables at 88%. Snack menus typically had one item (57%), with significantly more items in the afternoon compared to the morning (P < 0.001). Regarding snack patterns, 75.2% of morning snacks and 61.1% of afternoon snacks contained only one solid food and drink (P < 0.001). Fruit and milk (22.4%) was the most prevalent pattern in morning snacks, while grain and milk (31%) dominated afternoon snacks (P < 0.001). Only 48% of daycare center menus (all snacks and lunch) included all five food groups (grain, meat, vegetables, fruit, and milk). Notably, only 83% included milk and 57% included fruit.
Conclusions These findings highlight the need to improve food variety and diversity in the Center for Children’s Foodservice Management-managed daycare center menus. Developing more detailed guidelines for menu structure and food composition is crucial to ensure children receive balanced and diverse nutrition.
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Objectives This study was conducted to examine the status of foodservice management, with special interest on sanitary and nutritional food service in elderly day care centers.
Methods A total of 79 employees who managed foodservice facilities in elderly day care centers were included in the survey. The contents of the questionnaire consisted of general characteristics, importance and performance of sanitary and nutrition management, the reasons for poor performance, factors necessary for improvement, and the employee's demand for support. Data analysis was conducted using the SPSS v25.0.
Results Sanitary management showed an average importance score of 4.84 ± 0.40 and a performance score of 4.70 ± 0.61 (t-value: 8.260). The item with the lowest performance score was personal sanitary management (4.58 ± 0.71). In nutrition management, the average importance score was 4.52 ± 0.68, and the performance score was 4.20 ± 1.00 (t-value: 9.609). There were significant differences between the average score of importance and performance in both areas. As a result of an Importance-Performance Analysis, items that were recognized as important but had relatively low performance was “personal hygiene”, “ventilation” and “food storage”. Also in the nutritional management area, “menu planning for disease management” and “checking the saltiness in the soup” etc. had very low performance with low importance recognition. The items shown in the “low priority” quadrant were those that required professional management skills. In the areas that demanded support in foodservice management, education about sanitary and safe institutional food service had the highest score (4.42 ± 0.74), and all other items showed a demand of 4 points or more.
Conclusions Foodservice managers recognize the importance of foodservice facility management but performance is relatively low. Institutional support is, therefore, needed to improve performance. For items with low importance, it seems necessary to improve awareness of the necessity of these items and to provide education in this regard. To gradually improve foodservice management, continuous provision of education and training in these areas are of great importance.
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