부산대학교 도서관

Purpose/Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess the current practices used in school nutrition programs to prevent intentional acts of food contamination or tampering with food. Methods: A convenience sample of school districts (n=2023) was randomly selected, representing two states from each of the seven USDA regions. School food authorities from 320 districts in 14 states participated in a live structured interview guided by a questionnaire consisting of 31 questions concerning food defense practices. The researchers conducted the interviews with videoconferencing technology or telephone and entered responses directly into an online survey to collect the data. Descriptive statistics included frequencies, percentages, and means. Results: Results suggest that many school nutrition programs have room to improve food defense programs, practices, and understanding about food defense in their districts. Almost 68% of districts and 66% of school nutrition programs reported not having a food defense plan. While the opportunity for improvement was evident in several areas, some practices to prevent an intentional food defense incident were also reported. Training was reported as lacking by 44% of the sample. Application to Child Nutrition Professionals: Results from this study can be used to bring awareness about food defense practices in the school environment, especially where practices may not be evident through existing food safety plans. It is important that school nutrition programs follow recommended standards to reduce risks and develop best practices for overall safety. Stakeholders involved in school nutrition programs can support the prevention of intentional food contamination by advocating for district and staff training and by calling attention to practices that might represent a high risk for the school nutrition program.