Sodium and Potassium Content of School Meals for Elementary and Junior High School Students in Daegu, Masan, Gwangju, and Jeju

Abstract

This study was performed to determine the Na and K contents of school‐meals. In the study, 1,000 school‐meal samples were collected from 12 elementary and junior high schools located in four different cities in Korea. The Na and K contents of the samples were analyzed by an atomic absorption method. The school‐meal samples were classified into three main categories; staple dish, subsidiary dish, and dessert. Each of them was sub‐classified into 4 staple dishes, 15 subsidiary dishes, and 5 dessert dishes. The Na content of school‐meals was considerably different; from 2 to 2,717 mg/100 g. Among the staple dishes, cooked rice contained a relatively low amount of Na, 32 mg/100 g, but the other staple dishes included a considerably high amount of Na, 251–435 mg/100 g. Among the subsidiary dishes, the Na content of salad was the lowest, 140 mg/100 g and that of salt‐preserved vegetables was the highest, 2,717 mg/100 g. Among dessert, beverages, fruit, and dairy products enclosed a relatively low amount of Na, 2–29 mg/100 g, but, rice cakes and bread contained a noticeably high amount of Na, 367–564 mg/100 g. However, the K content of school‐meals was not very different; from 31 to 220 mg/100 g. Cooked rice and rice cakes contained a relatively low mount of K, 31–33 mg/100 g, and the other subsidiary dishes and dessert had 104–220 mg/100 g of K. The results indicate that most of the school‐meals enclosed a large amount of Na but a small amount of K.

Importance-performance analysis of sodium reduction practices by school nutrition teachers and dietitians in the Republic of Korea

“…The recommended salt content in soups and stews was set to 0.6% and 0.7% for elementary/middle and high school students, respectively. However, the salt content provided in school meals is high [ 4 5 ], and in particular, sodium content was relatively high in one-dish meals or noodles [ 4 6 7 ]. In middle schools in the Gyeongbuk region, an average sodium amount of 1,736.02 mg/meal was served, while the salt content in soups and stew was 0.69–0.80%, which exceeded the level recommended by the Ministry of Education (0.6%) [ 5 ].…”

“…In middle schools in the Gyeongbuk region, an average sodium amount of 1,736.02 mg/meal was served, while the salt content in soups and stew was 0.69–0.80%, which exceeded the level recommended by the Ministry of Education (0.6%) [ 5 ]. Among meals served in elementary/middle and high schools, the sodium content of one-dish meals was 245 and 278 mg, respectively, while that in noodles was 319 and 291 mg, respectively, at least 8–13 times higher than in regular cooked rice [ 4 ].…”