Food and Nutrients Intake in the School Lunch Program among School Children in Shanghai, China

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the intake of food and nutrients among primary, middle, and high schools students in Shanghai, and provide recommendations for possible amendments in new school lunch standards of Shanghai. Twenty schools were included in the school lunch menu survey. Of those, seven schools enrolled 5389 students and conducted physical measurement of plate waste and a questionnaire survey. The amount of food and nutrients was compared according to the new China National Dietary Guideline for School Children (2016) and Chinese Dietary Reference Intakes (2013). The provision of livestock and poultry meat in menus was almost 5–8 times the recommended amount. The amount of seafood was less than the recommended amount, and mostly came from half-processed food. The average percentage of energy from fat was more than 30% in students of all grades. The greatest amount of food wasted was vegetables with 53%, 42%, and 31%, respectively, among primary, middle and high school students. Intake of Vitamin A, Vitamin B2, calcium, and iron was about 50% of the recommended proportion. Only 24.0% students were satisfied with the taste of school lunches. Higher proportions of livestock and poultry meat and low intake of vegetables have become integral problems in school lunch programs. Additionally, more attention needs to be paid to the serving size in primary schools with five age groups.

<p>Dietary Behaviours Among Han, Tujia and Miao Primary School Students: A Cross-Sectional Survey in Chongqing, China</p>

“…33 Also, the low proportion of meeting the recommended intake of rice was found in this study, which was similar to a previous study, reporting that the intake of staple food (including rice, noodles, and other cereal food) for primary school students in grades 1-2 was insufficient at school lunch. 34 "Eating a variety of foods, mainly cereals" is the first core dietary recommendation in CDG 2016, also is an important feature of a balanced diet in Chinese residents. Related nutritional education in terms of improving the cereals intake should be emphasized.…”

Study Design and Protocol to Assess Fruit and Vegetable Waste at School Lunches

“…Many prior plate waste studies either use bulk measurement, combining all food items for single individuals or for groups of people (such as a lunch wave or grade) [11,20,21]. Bulk measurement fails to measure consumption of individual items or consumption at the individual level.…”

“…This protocol is important because it provides a detailed, longitudinal, individual-level estimate of the amount and type of F&V wasted on the child’s lunch. Many plate waste studies use bulk measurement by combining all food waste and taking one weight for an entire group [9,10,11]. Direct measurement of plate waste data collection is more objective than self-report dietary intake measures [12].…”

Dietary Intake and Lifestyle Habits of Children Aged 10–12 Years Enrolled in the School Lunch Program in Greece: A Cross Sectional Analysis

“…The effectiveness of school meals in improving dietary habits is often linked to their capacity to safeguard children against the purchase of less healthy food alternatives from vendors outside and inside the school, even in the presence of regulations around foods in the school canteen [1,4]. However, the strong argument in favor of school meals is that they can alleviate socioeconomic inequalities in food and health, as it is the children in the lower socioeconomic classes that benefit the most from being enrolled in a school meal program [5][6][7][8].…”

“…Over the past decade, the economic crisis has undermined children's health, disproportionately affecting the families of children from the most vulnerable groups both at home and at school, increasing their risk of any form of malnutrition [8][9][10]. With food security on the rise, the Greek government introduced School Lunches as a state intervention in 2016 in an effort to ensure access to sufficient nutritious food for children affected by the economic crisis [11].…”