Survey of canteens and food services in Victorian schools

Objective: To examine the characteristics of food services in Victorian government primary and secondary schools.

Design and methods: A cross-sectional postal survey of all high schools and a random sample of one quarter of primary school respondents in Victoria. A `School Food Services and Canteen' questionnaire was administered by mail to the principal of each school.

Subjects: Respondents included principals, canteen managers and home economics teachers from 150 primary and 208 secondary schools representing response rates of 48% and 67%, respectively.

Main outcome measures: Responses to closed questions about school canteen operating procedures, staff satisfaction, food policies and desired additional services.

Data analyses: Frequency and cross-tabulation analyses and associated χ²-tests.

Results: Most schools provided food services at lunchtime and morning recess but one-third provided food before school. Over 40% outsourced their food services, one-third utilised volunteer parents, few involved students in canteen operations. Half of the secondary schools had vending machines; one in five had three or more. Secondary school respondents were more dissatisfied with the nutritional quality of the food service, and expressed more interest in additional services than primary respondents. Schools with food policies wanted more service assistance and used volunteer parents, student and paid canteen managers more than schools without policies.

Conclusion: Most schools want to improve the nutritional quality of their food services, especially via school food policies. There is a major opportunity for professional organisations to advocate for the supply of healthier school foods.

Future challenges in day-care centre food services : will benchmarking help?

Purpose – The aim of this study is to identify the methods used by providers to evaluate their food services and identify elements of their service that would benefit from adopting a benchmarking system.

Design/methodology/approach – In-depth interviews were conducted with 26 food services providers and key informants in day-care settings in Surrey.

Findings – Few providers formally evaluated their service provision and most had not considered benchmarking their services against other food service providers. Factors such as food variety, food quality, cost and environment have been identified as issues that could be benchmarked and may benefit from the adoption of this process.

Research limitations/implications – The study was conducted only in one country – in the UK – further research is needed into the evaluation practices of other local authorities. The benchmarking model that has been developed by the authors needs to be applied in a food service setting to establish its usefulness to food service managers.

Practical implications – A model has been developed from the outcome of this research, which could aid evaluation processes for food service providers to identify aspects of the service in need of improvement.

Originality/value – There has been little research conducted on the evaluation of food service provision for older people, especially for congregate meals. This paper provides a model, that food service providers may find useful, to identify areas of their food services that are suitable for benchmarking.

Baby boomers' desires for future health and food services

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify food and health services desired by baby boomers and to examine their likely antecedents.

Design/methodology/approach – A random sample of baby boomers in Victoria, Australia (n=1,108) completed a postal survey and rated the desirability of 13 post retirement food and health services.

Findings – The strongest demand was expressed for low cost fruit and vegetables, 24-hour GP services, environmentally friendly foods, and friendly places to meet friends and exercise, among others. Generally, psychographic variables were key predictors of demand for social (health) services, food services, and vitamin pills and herbal remedies. Demand for food services was associated with universalism values.

Research limitations/implications – The cross-sectional design prevents causal attributions; however, the findings suggest that baby boomers' demand for services falls into three groups, which are related to their psychographic characteristics.

Originality/value – Consideration of these desired services may facilitate the planning of future health and food services for this broad age group.

Measuring the `obesogenic` food environment in New Zealand primary schools

Childhood obesity is an increasing health problem in New Zealand and many other countries. Information is needed to guide interventions that reduce the ‘obesogenic’ (obesity-promoting) elements of school environments. The aim of this study was to identify and measure the obesogenic elements of the school environment and the canteen sales of energy-dense foods and drinks. A self-completion questionnaire was developed for assessing each school's nutrition environment and mailed to a stratified random sample of New Zealand schools. The responses from primary schools (n = 200, response rate 61%) were analysed. Only 15.5% of schools had purpose-built canteen facilities and over half ran a food service for profit (31% profit to the school, 24.5% profit for the contractors). Only 16.5% of schools had a food policy, although 91% of those rated the policy as effective or very effective. The most commonly available foods for sale were pies (79%), juice (57%) and sausage rolls (54.5%). Filled rolls were the most expensive item (mean $1.79) and fruit the least expensive (mean $0.47). The ratio of ‘less healthy’ to ‘more healthy’ main choices was 5.6:1, for snacks it was 9.3:1 and for drinks it was 1.4:1. In contrast, ~60% of respondents said that nutrition was a priority for the school. Only 50% felt there was management support for healthy food choices and only 39% agreed that mainly nutritious food was offered by the food service. ‘Less healthy’ choices dominated food sales by more than 2:1, with pies being the top selling item (>55 000 per week). We found that the food environment was not conducive to healthy food choices for the children at New Zealand schools and that this was reflected in the high sales of relatively unhealthy foods from the school food services. Programmes that improve school food through policies, availability, prices and school ethos are urgently needed.

Identifying the barriers to implementing the Victorian Department of Education and Training guidelines regarding the provisions of nutrient dense food options in school canteens

Aims & rationale/Objectives : To identify barriers to the full implementation of new guidelines regarding school canteen menus launched by The Victorian Education Department in May 2004.
Methods : A self-administered questionnaire was sent to principals, business mangers and canteen managers of 13 secondary schools in South West Victoria covered by The Greater Green Triangle area (response rate 59%). The questions explored the canteen's role, operation, staffing and profits; existence and content of canteen policy; enablers and barriers to the sale of healthier foods; introduction and promotion of healthier foods; and perceived implications of banning less healthy foods.
Principal findings : The study identified several barriers to implementing healthy menus in school canteens, these being largely consistent with those found in other studies. The majority of schools reported they were making attempts to follow the guidelines for school food services, but were experiencing difficulty in proceeding to full implementation. The barriers identified through the study were student preference for less healthy options, concerns about profitability, lack of policy or its active communication and promotion at the school level and competition from other food outlets.
Discussion : There was evidence that healthy foods had not been actively promoted, suggesting that identification of student preferences as a barrier was based on perception rather than observation. The Victorian guidelines are effectively voluntary, with no accountability measures in place.
Implications : Research needs to be conducted to provide reliable and tested information about factors which impact on student choice. Schools would benefit from specialised assistance to formulate business plans for contemporary canteens selling healthy food and a clarification of government policy.
Presentation type : Poster

Government food service policies and guidelines do not create healthy school canteens

Objective
In 2006, the Victorian Government adopted the School Canteens and other school Food Services (SCFS) Policy that bans the sale of sweet drinks and confectionary and recommends the proportions of menu items based on a traffic light system of food classification. This study aims to determine whether compliance with the policy improves the nutritional profile of the menus.
Methods
Items from food service menus were assessed for compliance with the SCFS policy and categorised as ‘everyday’ (‘green’), ‘select carefully’ (‘amber’) or ‘occasionally’ (‘red’) (n=106). Profile analysis assessed differences in the nutritional profile of the menus between sub-groups.
Results
Overall, 37% of menus contained items banned under the policy. The largest proportion of items on the assessed menus were from the ‘amber’ category (mean: 51.0%), followed by ‘red’ (29.3%) and ‘green’ (20.3%). No menus met the traffic light-based recommendations and there was no relationship between policy compliance and the proportion of items in each of the three categories.
Conclusions and implications
To increase the healthiness of the school food service we recommend a greater investment in resources and infrastructure to implement existing policies, and establishing stronger monitoring and support systems.

Lay people's views of the school food supply

Purpose – This article aims to examine lay-persons' views of school food services in Victoria, Australia.

Design/methodology/approach – A cross-sectional postal questionnaire survey of a random sample of electors on the Electoral Roll in Victoria, Australia. Out of 1,000 potential respondents, 377 completed the questionnaire. Main outcome measures included responses to closed questions about foods supplied to children at school using five-point scales. Data analyses included frequency and cross-tabulation analyses, and multivariate analyses of principal component scores by demographic and personal values variables.

Findings – Many respondents were critical of children's school food services but they were generally supportive of food and health education, whilst holding ambivalent attitudes towards snacks and marketing practices.

Research limitations/implications – This was a cross-sectional survey with a relatively low response rate.

Practical implications – Understanding of laypersons' views of children's food services is likely to facilitate nutrition communication and promotion of healthy children's foods.

Originality/value – Lay views of children's food provision have rarely been reported, despite their importance for the support of public nutrition policies. The study identifies likely antecedents of lay people's views.

Food environment and policies in private schools in Kolkata, India

School food policies and services have the potential to influence the food practices and eating behaviours of adolescents which in turn may affect their lifestyles and health in adulthood. The aim of this qualitative investigation was to describe the opinions of adolescents, their parents, nutrition educators and school principals about the prevailing food environment and canteen policies in Indian schools. Fifteen adolescents aged 14–15 years, 15 parents, 12 teachers and 10 principals from 10 private schools in Kolkata, India participated in semi-structured interviews. The interview questions were primarily based on the existing literature related to school food environments and policies. Audio recordings were transcribed verbatim and assessed thematically. Throughout the 52 interviews, a number of inadequacies of the school food environment and policies were revealed. These included the absence of written food policies, the widespread supply of unhealthy foods, inadequate provision of healthy foods, misleading messages about food communicated by school authorities, lack of cleanliness in the school canteen and the high cost of canteen food. Current school food environments do not appear to promote healthy eating among adolescents. Therefore, it is important to upgrade the quality of food services in Indian schools through adoption of healthy eating policies.

Provision of meals on wheels to the elderly : case studies in the era of local government reform

Australia’s ageing population is on the increase. It is predicted that by 2021 one quarter of Victoria’s elderly population will be aged 60 and over. Not only are people living longer, but they also wish to remain living in the community. The Home and Community Care (HACC) Program was established in 1985 to facilitate and assist the elderly and disabled to remain in their home. In Victoria around 51% of HACC funds are managed by local governments, a level of government that has recently undergone major reforms, which ultimately impacted on the manner in which services were provided. The HACC program funds Meals on Wheels, a service that provides meals for those elderly who no longer can prepare their own meals. The aim of this study was to assess the Meals on Wheels service provided by two Melbourne councils with different service philosophies. The study has four main components: (1) Menu analysis by food and variety; (2) Analysis of actual meals; (3) Clients assessment of Food Services; and (4) Client assessment of the organoleptic qualities of Meals on Wheels. Two Melbourne councils were chosen for their different approaches to service delivery. The City of South tendered out both meal production and delivery, while the City of North maintained its MOW service in-house. The case study method of research allowed for each council’s service to be assessed objectively and without comparison. Several methodologies were used for collecting data in this study. Menu analysis was carried out by comparing the MOW menus with the HACC menu planning guidelines together with general menu planning principles. Analysis of actual meals was in two stages. The weights of the meals were recorded and compared with the HACC recommended food serving portions and meal combinations over a five-day period were analysed for their nutrient contents. Face to face interviews were conducted with clients for their assessment of MOW and the assessment of the organoleptic qualities of the meals was carried out over a five-day period. The results concluded that both councils menus were based on sound menu planning principles, but did not conform with Home and Community Care menu planning guidelines fully and did not include a serve of bread, fruit and milk. The weight analysis of the meal combinations revealed some discrepancies between actual meals and Home and Community Care guidelines by not meeting the recommended serving sizes. Meal combinations generally met Home and Community Care standard for kilojoule and protein, but other nutrients, such as thiamin, riboflavin, magnesium, calcium and zinc were generally below the recommended levels for Meals On Wheels. The majority of study group lived alone and received four to five meals per week. Delivery times of meals, selective menus and food quality were issues raised by clients. Whilst the quality and variety of vegetables was raised by clients they generally rated the organoleptic qualities of the meals as satisfactory. This study examined the four components of the service. A simple method of evaluation the service was developed, which highlight discrepancies with HACC standards and encouraged the councils to set a customer satisfaction standard. A number of recommendations are made to ensure that meals are aesthetically pleasing, including a list of different methods for preparing vegetables. The provision of additional foods, such as a “snack pack” is recommended to improve the supply of essential nutrients that were below the Home and Community Care standards. Meals on Wheels is a vital support service for the elderly living in the community and as such should aim to provide a high quality service that meets the needs of its clients.

Invoice methodology

An innovative method for measuring the impact of an environmental food service intervention on the nutritional quality of the food supply was developed and implemented at five food services in Victoria as part of a Catering Improvement Program trial. This study used the invoice data to investigate changes in food supply at these food services.

Online corporate social responsibility communication by Australian SMEs : a framework for website analysis

There has been almost no IS related corporate social responsibility (CSR) research on small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and most non-IS research does not examine how SMEs use websites to communicate their CSR initiatives. This paper develops and applies a framework to report on the results of an exploratory content analysis of 33 Australian SME websites in the Information Media/Telecommunications and Accommodation/ Food Services sectors which communicate CSR initiatives online.

Change of school in early adolescence and adverse obesity-related dietary behavior: a longitudinal cohort study, Victoria, Australia, 2013-2014

INTRODUCTION: Environments that facilitate energy-dense, nutrient-poor diets are associated with childhood obesity. We examined the effect of a change of school environment on the prevalence of obesity and related dietary behavior in early adolescence. METHODS: Fifteen schools in Victoria, Australia, were recruited at random from the bottom 2 strata of a 5-level socioeconomic scale. In 9 schools, students in grade 6 primary school transitioned to different schools for grade 7 secondary school, whereas in 6 schools, students remained in the same school from grade 6 to grade 7. Time 1 measures were collected from students (N = 245) in grade 6 (aged 11-13 y). Time 2 data were collected from 243 (99%) of the original cohort in grade 7. Data collected were dietary recall self-reported by students via questionnaire, measured height and weight of students, and aspects of the school food environment via school staff survey. Comparative and mixed model regression analyses were conducted. RESULTS: Of 243 students, 63% (n = 152) changed schools from time 1 to time 2, with no significant difference in weight status. Students who changed schools reported an increase in purchases of after-school snack food, greater sweetened beverage intake, fewer fruit-and-vegetable classroom breaks, and less encouragement for healthy eating compared with students who remained in the same school. School staff surveys showed that more primary than secondary schools had written healthy canteen policies and fewer days of canteen or food services operation. CONCLUSION: A change of school environment has negative effects on children's obesity-related dietary behavior. Consistent policy is needed across school types to support healthy eating in school environments.

Effects of a free school breakfast programme on children's attendance, academic achievement and short-term hunger: results from a stepped-wedge, cluster randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Free school breakfast programmes (SBPs) exist in a number of high-income countries, but their effects on educational outcomes have rarely been evaluated in randomised controlled trials.

METHODS: A 1-year stepped-wedge, cluster randomised controlled trial was undertaken in 14 New Zealand schools in low socioeconomic resource areas. Participants were 424 children, mean age 9±2 years, 53% female. The intervention was a free daily SBP. The primary outcome was children's school attendance. Secondary outcomes were academic achievement, self-reported grades, sense of belonging at school, behaviour, short-term hunger, breakfast habits and food security.

RESULTS: There was no statistically significant effect of the breakfast programme on children's school attendance. The odds of children achieving an attendance rate <95% was 0.76 (95% CI 0.56 to 1.02) during the intervention phase and 0.93 (95% CI 0.67 to 1.31) during the control phase, giving an OR of 0.81 (95% CI 0.59 to 1.11), p=0.19. There was a significant decrease in children's self-reported short-term hunger during the intervention phase compared with the control phase, demonstrated by an increase of 8.6 units on the Freddy satiety scale (95% CI 3.4 to 13.7, p=0.001). There were no effects of the intervention on any other outcome.

CONCLUSIONS: A free SBP did not have a significant effect on children's school attendance or academic achievement but had significant positive effects on children's short-term satiety ratings. More frequent programme attendance may be required to influence school attendance and academic achievement.

Effects of a free school breakfast programme on school attendance, achievement, psychosocial function, and nutrition: a stepped wedge cluster randomised trial

BACKGROUND: Approximately 55,000 children in New Zealand do not eat breakfast on any given day. Regular breakfast skipping has been associated with poor diets, higher body mass index, and adverse effects on children's behaviour and academic performance. Research suggests that regular breakfast consumption can improve academic performance, nutrition and behaviour. This paper describes the protocol for a stepped wedge cluster randomised trial of a free school breakfast programme. The aim of the trial is to determine the effects of the breakfast intervention on school attendance, achievement, psychosocial function, dietary habits and food security.

METHODS/DESIGN: Sixteen primary schools in the North Island of New Zealand will be randomised in a sequential stepped wedge design to a free before-school breakfast programme consisting of non-sugar coated breakfast cereal, milk products, and/or toast and spreads. Four hundred children aged 5-13 years (approximately 25 per school) will be recruited. Data collection will be undertaken once each school term over the 2010 school year (February to December). The primary trial outcome is school attendance, defined as the proportion of students achieving an attendance rate of 95% or higher. Secondary outcomes are academic achievement (literacy, numeracy, self-reported grades), sense of belonging at school, psychosocial function, dietary habits, and food security. A concurrent process evaluation seeks information on parents', schools' and providers' perspectives of the breakfast programme.

DISCUSSION: This randomised controlled trial will provide robust evidence of the effects of a school breakfast programme on students' attendance, achievement and nutrition. Furthermore the study provides an excellent example of the feasibility and value of the stepped wedge trial design in evaluating pragmatic public health intervention programmes.

Linking future ecosystem services and future human well-being

Ecosystem services are necessary, yet not sufficient for human well-being (however defined). Insufficient access to the ecosystem provisioning service of food is a particularly important factor in the loss of human well-being, but all ecosystem services contribute in some way to well-being. Although perhaps long obvious to ecologists, the links between ecosystems and aspects of human well-being, including health, have been less well understood among the social science community. This situation may now be starting to change, thanks in part to the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA). Causality between ecosystem services and well-being is bidirectional; it is increasingly clear that functioning societies can protect or enhance ecosystem services, and accordingly, that societies with impaired well-being (best documented in the case of chronic diseases such as malaria and HIV/AIDS) can also experience a related decline in ecosystem services.

The future state of human well-being and of ecosystem services is more than the co-evolution of these two fundamental elements. Human well-being also depends, critically, upon the human institutions that govern relationships between human individuals and groups, and also between humans and ecosystem services.

The scenarios working group of the MA found that human well-being is highest in the Global Orchestration scenario, which assumes the fastest evolution of beneficial institutions, and is lowest in the Order from Strength scenario. Human well-being was found to be intermediate in the other two scenarios (Adapting Mosaic and Techno-Garden) even though these scenarios share a much greater recognition of the importance of ecosystem services to human well-being.