• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.386-401
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• 2013

This study was conducted to analyze traditional aspects of school lunch menus in Korea. We conducted a content analysis of menu-related contents included in guidelines for school lunch programs provided by 16 city and provincial education offices. In addition, the data of 10,495 menus for the third week of December 2010 and March, July, October 2011 from 557 elementary, middle, and high school were analyzed by school grade, area, and province. The results showed that there were no specific and detailed guidelines for menu planning in terms of traditional food culture in most of the guidelines for school lunch programs. However, the basic traditional menu composition was maintained in school lunch menus. The percentage of menus including rice and Kimchi was 97% and 95%, respectively, and that including Korean soup was about 72%. However, the frequency of serving Namul, Korean seasoned vegetable dish, accounted for only about 52% of the menus. The percentage of the menus following the traditional food group pattern including such five food groups as rice, Korean soup, Kimchi, Namul, and optional Korean side dish was only about 35%. The percentage of the menus following the traditional food group pattern excluding Namul from the five food groups accounted for about 30%. The traditional food group score, calculated by allocating 1 point to each of the five food groups was 4.06 out of 5 points on average. Elementary schools and schools in rural area and in Jeolla-do province served traditional menus more frequently. In conclusion, school lunch programs need to consider establishing traditional foods-based standards and relevant guidelines for school lunch, particularly for high schools and schools in urban areas and in some provinces.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.369-381
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• 2013

The aim of this study was to investigate the perception of students, their parents, and nutrition teachers regarding environment-friendly foods (EFF) and the satisfaction with school meals at elementary schools. Questionnaires were sent to nutrition teachers at five elementary schools located in the Jindo area, Jeonnam province, and were distributed to students and their parents. A total of 351 questionnaires from students and 334 from parents were collected from March to April, 2013. In addition, 43 nutrition teachers/dietitians working at elementary schools in the Jindo area responded to questionnaires. Nutrition teachers primarily recognized the classification and certification standards of EFF, and verified the certification mark of EFF when they purchased foods. However, 13.4% of students and 38.6% of parents replied as 'know well' regarding the classification and certification standards of EFF and they verified the mark of EFF less often than the nutrition teachers (p<0.001). Most of the nutrition teachers and parents indicated 'safety' as the main advantage of EFF. The students and parents were satisfied with EFF at home and school meals because of the safety and favorable effect on health. The results showed that EFF compromised 20~40% of monthly food costs for 51.1% of nutrition teachers. The overall score for satisfaction with school meals for students was 3.88 based on a 5-point Likert scale; however, that of the parents was 3.72. The nutrition teachers realized that the parents were more interested in EFF and satisfied with EFF than the students. The major barriers to using EFF in school meals were 'lack of information about EFF' and 'unstable supply.' Therefore, the above results suggested that there should be improvement in the supply of EFF to include more EFF in school meals and efforts should be made to provide students and parents with more information for understanding EFF.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.16 no.sup1
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• pp.113-125
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• 2022

In the current years, it has now become necessary to establish standards for micronutrient intake based on scientific evidence. This review discusses issues related to the development of the 2020 Dietary Reference Intakes for Koreans (KDRI) for magnesium (Mg), zinc (Zn), and copper (Cu), and future research directions. Following issues were encountered when establishing the KDRI for these minerals. First, characteristics of Korean subjects need to be applied to estimate nutrient requirements. When calculating the estimated average requirement (EAR), the KDRI used the results of balance studies for Mg absorption and factorial analysis for Zn, which is defined as the minimum amount to offset endogenous losses for Zn and Mg. For Cu, a combination of indicators, such as depletion/repletion studies, were applied, wherein all reference values were based on data obtained from other countries. Second, there was a limitation in that it was difficult to determine whether reference values of Mg, Zn, and Cu intakes in the 2020 KDRI were achievable. This might be due to the lack of representative previous studies on intakes of these nutrients, and an insufficient database for Mg, Zn, and Cu contents in foods. This lack of database for mineral content in food poses a problem when evaluating the appropriateness of intake. Third, data was insufficient to assess the adequacy of Mg, Zn, and Cu intakes from supplements when calculating reference values, considering the rise in both demand and intake of mineral supplements. Mg is more likely to be consumed as a multi-nutrient supplement in combination with other minerals than as a single supplement. Moreover, Zn-Cu interactions in the body need to be considered when determining the reference intake values of Zn and Cu. It is recommended to discuss these issues present in the 2020 KDRI development for Mg, Zn, and Cu intakes in a systematic way, and to find relevant solutions.

• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.225-234
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• 1998

Nutrition during childhood is essential for growth and maintenance of health. Good food habits developed during the childhood will contribute both to the healthy growth and the prevention of the degenerative disease of later life. Both parents and the providers in child care centers play an important role for children's good eating behavior. Therefore all child care programs should achieve recommended standards for meeting children's nutritional and educational needs in a safe, sanitary, and supportive environment to promote the healthy growth and development of children. The purposes of this study were to evaluate the foodservice management practices and assess the needs for a Central Production Unit by contacting the child care center' providers. This approach was achieved using a variety of qualitative and quantitative information including the general foodservice management practices and the needs for a Central Production Unit. An indepth face-to-face interview with structured-questionnaires was undertaken at 32 representative child-care centers in Seoul. Statistical data analysis was done using the SAS program for descriptive analysis and ANOVA. The number of national/public and private sectors were 11 respectively, followed by 10 licensed home day-care centers. Total average number of children in child-care centers was 54.3 $\pm$48.5. The foodservice productivity index in child-care centers was 4.8 minutes per meal for public child care centers, 6.0 for private child-care centers, and 9.8 for home child care centers. Home child care centers were found to have the lowest productivity index which indicated inefficient foodservice practice. The important factors in group purchasing were menus(39.6%) or close distance(39.6%) > type of foodservice operation(32.8%) > total number of meals(19.9%) > food costs(16.2%) in order. Average score of the efficiency for central food production in child-care centers was 3.80 $\pm$0.84 out of 5.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.239-246
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• 2021

Purpose: Previous studies have reported the difference in nutritional status between South and North Korean infants and young children (IYC). Clear understanding on the nature of such differences is essential for planning food and nutrition policies and programs to prepare for a possible re-unification of the two Koreas in future. This study was undertaken to yield valid statistics comparing the nutritional status between North and South Korean IYC. Methods: Raw data obtained from the 2017 Korean National Growth Chart and the 2013-2017 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were analyzed to determine the comparable statistics that include weight for age z-score (WAZ), height for age z-score (HAZ) and weight for height z-score (WHZ), with data reported in the Survey Findings Report of the 2017 DRP Korea Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey. The average weight and height by gender and month were estimated for North Korean IYC and calculated for South Korean IYC. SPSS analysis was applied to evaluate the acquired statistics and compare the nutritional status of South and North Korean IYC. Results: WAZ, HAZ and WHZ of North Korean IYC were observed to be lower than values obtained for South Korean IYC as well as the median values of World Health Organization Child Growth Standards across all ages. Similar patterns were observed for average height and weight. The nutritional status of North Korean IYC revealed a prevalence of highly underweight (9.3%), stunting (19.1%) and wasting (2.5%) values, and was determined to be significantly lower than values obtained for South Korean IYC (0.8%, 1.8%, and 0.7%, respectively). Conclusion: This study has yielded valid statistics that compare the nutritional status of North and South Korean IYC. Results of this study confirm the prevalence of nutritional status difference between South and North Korea.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.233-247
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• 2022

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to describe the development process of the Korean Healthy Eating Index (KHEI) based on the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). SUBJECTS/METHODS: The components of KHEI were selected based on Dietary Guidelines for Koreans, domestic and overseas dietary quality indices, and results of the analysis of association with chronic diseases. The standards for scoring of KHEI were selected based on the 2015 Dietary Reference Intakes for Koreans (KDRI). The KHEI scores of Korean adults were calculated using a 1-day 24-h recall data in the 2013-2015 KNHANES. RESULTS: The KHEI included eight adequacy components evaluating the proper intake of recommended foods such as fruit, vegetable, and milk and three moderation components evaluating the consumption of food that limit intake such as sodium and saturated fatty acid. In addition, three balance components assessing the balance of energy intake were included. The KHEI score was defined to range from the minimum of 0 point to the maximum of 100 points. Among Korean adults, the total KHEI score was 63.2 out of 100. Gender and age differences were found in the average of total KHEI scores. Women showed higher score than men (61.7 in men and 64.7 in women, respectively). By age group, 20s and 30s showed the lowest scores with 57.4 and 61.1 respectively, and the scores increased with age by peaking at 67.8 in ages 60-69 and slowed down again in ages 70 or over. CONCLUSIONS: The KHEI can be useful for establishing and assessing national nutritional policies and in epidemiological studies to assess the relationship between overall dietary quality and chronic diseases. KHEI will need to be continuously updated to reflect changes in dietary guidelines and the KDRI.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.673-679
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• 2009

To develop ready-to-eat (RTE) style Korean traditional Galbi-jjim, the optimal conditions for sous-vide cooking and cookchill preparation and the sensory properties of the cooked products were investigated. During heating, the meat core temperatures reached $85^{\circ}C$ within 30 min and 45 min when a water bath and combination oven were used, respectively. Chilling to $3^{\circ}C$ within 45 min was conducted to meet the standards for microbiological safety set by the UK Department of Health and Social Security (DHSS) Guideline. Galbi-jjim that was vacuum-cooked in a water bath was much more tender than that of Galbi-jjim prepared using the cook-chill method, but had no difference in any reheating methods. The average sensory scores of juiciness and the overall acceptance of Galbi-jjim were significantly higher when water bath cooking was used, and there were no differences in reheating methods. In conclusion, the serial methods of sous-vide processing and rapid chilling can be applied to produce RTE traditional Galbi-jjim, and this can be conducted while meeting the standards specified in safety guidelines.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.28-34
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• 2008

This study was performed in an effort to standardize the quality of fresh-cut products. Here, consumers' perceptions of fresh-cut products were surveyed to determine the quality factors in preparing quality standards for fresh-cut products. According to the surveys, freshness was the most important factor for consumers when choosing fresh-cut products at the market. Secondary indicators of good quality, i.e., "sensory qualities," were determined to be vibrant color, clean taste, nice feel, neat presentation, etc., as well as knowledge of whether it was organically grown. Off-odors decreased a product's marketability. Likewise, the more wilted or brown it appeared, the less a product was desired. From the results, the quality control indices for fresh-cut products were derived as freshness, discoloration, off-flavor, uniformity, prohibition of adulteration by alien substances, packaging and labeling. The quality of fresh-cut lettuce samples was measured against three storage temperatures: $20^{\circ}C,\;10^{\circ}C$ and $5^{\circ}C$. Sensory quality evaluations revealed the following: produce stored at $20^{\circ}C$ lost its marketability in less than one day; produce stored at $10^{\circ}C$ lost its marketability in less than two days; on the other hand, produced stored at $5^{\circ}C$, maintained its marketability for six days. At these respective points, browning started to occur around cut areas, and increased gradually once it began. Vitamin C content decreased with storage time, but storage at $5^{\circ}C$ maintained vitamin content the longest duration. Finally, further examinations were performed on the sensory qualities of fresh-cut lettuce samples at four levels of increased browning. Up to the third level, the product score for marketability was 5.6.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.16 no.sup1
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• pp.57-69
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• 2022

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Vitamin D is produced in the skin during sun exposure and is also ingested from foods. The role of vitamin D needs to be considered in the prevention and management of various diseases. Moreover, since the majority of Koreans spend their days indoors, becoming susceptible to the risk of vitamin D deficiency. The current study aims to prepare a basis for determining dietary reference intake of vitamin D in Korea, by reviewing the evidence against various diseases and risks. MATERIALS/METHODS: Literature published in Korea and other countries between 2014 and 2018 was prioritized based on their study design and other criteria, and evaluated using the RoB 2.0 assessment form and United States Department of Agriculture Nutrition Evidence Library Conclusion Statement Evaluation Criteria. RESULTS: Of the 1,709 studies, 128 studies were included in the final systematic analysis after screening. To set the dietary reference intakes of vitamin D based on the selected articles, blood 25(OH)D levels and indicators of bone health were used collectively. Blood vitamin D levels and ultraviolet (UV) exposure time derived from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were analyzed to establish the dietary reference intakes of vitamin D for each stage of the life cycle. The adequate intake levels of vitamin D, according to age and gender, were determined to be in the range of 5-15 ㎍/day, and the tolerable upper intake level was established at 25-100 ㎍/day. CONCLUSIONS: The most important variable for vitamin D nutrition is lifestyle. A balanced diet comprising foods with high contents of vitamin D is important, as is vitamin D synthesis after UV exposure. The adequate intake level of vitamin D mentioned in the 2015 Dietary Reference Intakes for Korean (KDRI) remained unchanged in the 2020 KDRI for the management of vitamin D nutrition in Koreans.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.285-295
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• 2013

The purpose of this study was to examine the characteristics of the dietary intake of Korean elderly according to chew-ing ability using data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) conducted during 2007-2010. Among subjects aged 65 years and over, more than half, 54.3% of elderly people, were classified as the difficulty in chewing group (DC). The DC group had lower nutrients and food intakes than those of in the no difficulty in chewing group (NDC). Findings showed that subjects in the DC group consumed fewer foods, especially fruits and vegetables. In addition, the DC group had significantly lower intakes of pan-fried food, stir-fried food, braised food, and seasoned-cooked vegetables, which could not be easily cooked or chewed. On the other hand, the number of soups and stews included in the top 30 largely consumed dishes were higher in the DC group than in the NDC group. No difference in numbers of daily meal/snack intake was observed between the two groups, however, the DC group had lower numbers of side-dishes compared to the NDC group. Fewer side-dishes per meal could be related to lower intakes of nutrients in dietary quality. Findings of this study demonstrated that dietary intake was influenced by chewing ability of elderly Korean people. Therefore, study of factors affecting dietary intake such as convenient cooking methods to decrease cooking time and skills to extend preservation and storage time of foods will necessary. In addition, development of food products and new techniques of cooking considering health status, chewing, and swallowing ability is required for the elderly, followed by establishment of standards for senior-friendly food products.