Problems of organization of school nutrition in secondary general schools of the city of tashkent

Abstract

Objective. Analysis of organization of school nutrition based on an interview survey conducted among teachers, health providers, kitchen workers, and parents of schoolchildren of secondary general schools. Material and methods. In order to determine the problems of the organization of school meals we used a method of an interview survey of 615 people, including 256 teachers, 27 health providers, 68 kitchen workers and 264 parents of schoolchildren of Tashkent secondary general schools. Overall, 9 kitchens were checked, of them 77.8% were canteens preparing meals from raw and semi-finished foodstuffs, and 22.2% were tuck-shops. Results. Among kitchen workers, 14.3% had higher and incomplete higher education, 64.3% had specialized vocational education; in 100% of cases they had a health certificate with indication of the date of medical examination, but more than half of them had no sanitation training or attestation. Only 51% of the kitchen staff could correctly describe the technology of washing dishes, cooking equipment, tools and utensils, and facilities, safe food storage and the sanitary-hygienic requirements to meal preparation. Disinfection and disinfestation of kitchen facilities in more than 55% of cases were performed by the school staff. In 78.6% of cases, territorial sanitary-epidemiological inspectors supervised the organization of school nutrition. According to 30% of respondents, the existing system of organization school nutrition was not satisfactory. Conclusion. More than 60% of the teaching staff, health providers and parents believe that the optimal variant for healthy food provision for schoolchildren is a canteen working directly with raw or semi-manufactured foodstuffs. In order to improve organization of school nutrition and satisfy the needs of schoolchildren for high-quality and safe meals it is expedient to build large food-processing complexes in the city of Tashkent.