Abstract
Objectives: The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of microbe inspections on the hygienic improvement of school food service systems. Methods: Thirty-three school food service systems in Incheon metropolitan city participated in the study from Sep. 2004 to Apr. 2005. Major items of microbe inspections were cutting boards, knives, kitchen towels, and kitchen staff's hands. The Rodac plate and hand plate were used to measure the surface contamination level of germs such as Staphylococcus aureus, Vibrio species, Salmonella species and E. coli. Results: This study compared the results of the inspections in Sep. 2004 and Apr. 2005. The surface contamination level of Staphylococcus aureus and Vibrio species on the knives and kitchen towels had significantly improved. However, the surface contamination level of E. coli on the hands of the kitchen staff had worsened. Conclusions: This study showed that microbe inspections could control the hygienic level of the school food service systems. In the future, microbe inspections should be actively used to improve sanitary conditions in the school lunch system.