A Survey on the Sanitary Condition of Kitchens of School Lunch Program

A survey was conducted to investigate the sanitary condition of school kitchens in one region of Korea. A self-administered questionnaire recommended by the Korea Ministry of Education & Human Resources Development (MOEHRD) was offered to a random sample of dieticians of twenty-five elementary schools for food, sanitation and safety inspection of their kitchens. Air temperature, relative humidity, and airborne microbes in the kitchens were monitored during food preparation, processing and service. The inspection results showed their sanitary condition met the level B of the recommendation of the Korea MOEHRD. The range of air temperature of the kitchens was 21.4∼22.4$^{\circ}C$, and the range of relative humidity was 62.4∼69.6%. The microbiological evaluation of kitchen samples indicated aerobic plate count levels from 22.5 to 26.5 CFU/15 min. These results indicate that the levels of sanitary condition of kitchens in the schools were not satisfactory for safe foodservice although the inspection showed good results. This study suggests that the school kitchens should be monitored and strict inspection is necessary.