Food Protection Trends - November/December 2022 - 447

This study had limitations. The analysis targeted only
school foodservice, and generalization to other areas of the
foodservice industry may not be accurate. Because the data
were from a large urban school system, rural schools were
not represented. However, the school system targeted is
the second largest in the country and represents the varied
demographics of students and employees. Although the
data for only the last 10 years were analyzed, this allowed a
longitudinal trend analysis.
CONCLUSIONS
This study of school foodservice food safety inspections
over a 10-year period was conducted to identify trends
in critical, serious, and minor violations. Although a
slight downward trend was found in the average number
of violations per inspection, the same critical violations
persisted throughout the 10-year period. These findings
underscore the need to reevaluate current food safety
educational interventions and food safety handling practices.
Key critical and serious violations were lack of food safety
knowledge, lack of temperature controls throughout the
food preparation process, and lack of appropriate supplies.
The presence of a certified food safety manager appeared
to be critical for ensuring proper food safety practices by
employees. Recurring minor violations were associated
with cleanliness of the facility (ventilation, flooring, walls,
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ceiling, and food- and non food-contact surfaces). In light
of these recurring trends, food safety training programs
should ensure that employees understand and follow proper
temperature controls and cleaning and sanitizing procedures.
School foodservice directors should also ensure appropriate
oversight for confirming that these procedures are being
implemented properly.
Over the 10-year period, the most common critical
violation was lack of food safety knowledge by managers and
employees. The increase in the prevalence of this violation
could be due to increased scrutiny from health inspectors;
therefore, future study is needed on the behaviors of school
foodservice health inspectors over time. Future research
should target the most commonly recurring violations to
improve knowledge and food safety specific practices. For
example, future educational interventions could utilize
advanced technology such as augmented reality to educate
school foodservice employees in real time on the job. Future
research could also focus on current training practices and
topics for school foodservice directors to identify gaps in
educational interventions.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
This research was supported by any specific grant from
funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit
sectors. The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
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