The objective of this study was to evaluate the foodservice components at the St. Mary's Children's Home to determine if they met food safety standards using guidelines provided by the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) principles. A questionnaire was used to conduct the study and the major innovation of the study was the development of a Food Safety Index, which provided an indication of the self‐assessment of the staff of the institution with respect to food safety. A total of 43 staff members from the dietary, dormitory and stores departments participated in the exercise. The study found that some components of foodservice had good Food Safety Indices, especially “purchasing” and “meal service.” The “personal hygiene” component also has a good Food Safety Index. However, the “distribution” and the “safety and sanitation” components had poor indices. Although 61.9% of the staff had training in food safety, only 28% of them had been trained in all aspects of this subject. This could be a contributory factor to the unfavorable food safety practices observed. With respect to specific foodservice operations, it was found that there were no written specifications for purchasing and receiving of food and nonfood supplies. Also, the absence of thermometers made it difficult to maintain proper temperature control in refrigeration and food preparation. These findings suggest the need for an ongoing training program in proper foodservice practices and the implementation of an HACCP system to improve foodservice operations of the home.
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