Foodservice and Lodging Management

1
Foodservice and Lodging Management
School Foodservice Administrators Perceptions of
Required and/or Desired Inputs to Implement a
HACCP-Based Food Safety Plan A National Study
Methods
Abstract
Results

• Phase One- The Expert Panel
• A national panel of 12 public school
  foodservice directors
• - represented each of the seven USDA regions
• - provided expert opinions regarding HACCP
  inputs
• and costs
• Phase Two- The National Survey
• An electronic survey developed from results
  provided by the expert panel
• sent to a national sample of 1,850 public school
  foodservice administrators
• equitable representation from the seven USDA
  regions
• Participants were asked to
• Identify equipment purchases by district
• Provide organizational inputs such as
• - food safety and/or HACCP training,
• - time spent writing SOPs,
• - obtaining required number of health
  inspections
• Describe perceptions about HACCP implementation
  and effectiveness locally and nationally
• Phase Three- Case Study
• Site observations and interviews were conducted
• in two Florida school districts reported to have
  successfully implemented HACCP

• Organizational Inputs
• 446 respondents reported an increase in food
  safety site-level management training since 2004
• Site-level managers received a median number of
  10 food safety training hours during school year
  2005-2006
• 40 median hours were reported (n 399) for
  developing the districts HACCP-based SOPs
• If cost were no object, 30 (n 254) would have
  hired a HACCP consultant to write the plan
• Over 80 (n 413) reported no increase in cost to
  obtain the required number of yearly health
  inspections
• Perceptions
• Time, paperwork, training, money and staff buy in
  were reported as the top five challenges
• Almost 65 (n 176) of respondents thought the
  districts investment in a food safety plan
  resulted in safer food served to children

The purpose of this three-phase study was to
identify public school foodservice
administrators perceptions of required and/or
desired inputs by their districts to comply with
the new HACCP-based food safety program mandate.
An electronic survey developed using a Delphi
type technique was sent to a stratified, random
national sample of public school foodservice
administrators (N 1,850). Respondents (n
567) provided information regarding large and
small equipment purchases, staffing, program
development time, training, and perceptions about
HACCP/food safety training, HACCP benefits, and
challenges. Four site observations of school
kitchens were conducted to validate national
survey findings. Large districts purchased more
large equipment per site than did small- and
medium-sized districts. The majority of school
districts (88.2, n 468) had purchased
thermometers either prior to (70.9) or after
(17.3) the 2004 mandate, with bi-metallic
stemmed thermometers being purchased in the
highest quantity (Mdn 12 per district). Shallow
pans (2 deep) were identified by almost 60 (n
129) of respondents as the item purchased in the
greatest quantity on a list of other small
equipment, with a median of 21 pans per district.
Large districts purchased more small equipment
per site than small districts. Most respondents
(81.4 n 413) replied there had not been any
additional costs associated with obtaining the
required number of annual health inspections.
Overall challenges to HACCP implementation as
perceived by school foodservice administrators
were time (n 85), paperwork (n 47), training
(n 38), and money (n 37). Those in charge of
school meal programs should be sure there is
training on proper use of bi-metallic stemmed
thermometers, proper calibration of this widely
used food temperature measuring device,
maintaining food and equipment temperature
monitoring equipment, and work simplification
techniques to reduce time associated with
monitoring and documenting the plan.
Recommendations

• Districts have incurred costs related to
  equipment, training, and time although no
  additional federal funding has been provided
• Districts should be sure there is training on
  proper calibration of bi-metallic stemmed
  thermometers
• Districts should identify work simplification
  methods and practices to reduce time associated
  with HACCP at the site level

Results

• Equipment
• Responses were received from 567 school
  foodservice administrators (30 response rate)
• Large districts (enrollment gt 10,000) purchased
  more large and small equipment per site than
  small districts (enrollment lt 2,499)
• Most districts (94) had not purchased a blast
  chiller 60 (n 291) would purchase a blast
  chiller if cost were no object
• Over 70 of respondents (n 332) had purchased
  thermometers prior to the 2004 federal mandate
• Bi-metallic stemmed thermometers were the most
  widely purchased type of thermometer

Cyndie Story, PhD, RD and Catherine Strohbehn,
PhD, RD