Abstract

DALLMANN SCHROETLIN, Diana Elizabeth  and  PEDOTTI, Rosanna Elizabeth. School canteens: current compliance with a resolution of the Ministry of Education and Culture of Paraguay in 23 public schools in Asuncion, Paraguay. Pediatr. (Asunción) [online]. 2007, vol.34, n.1, pp.9-14. ISSN 1683-9803.

Introduction: Resolution 12774/03 of the Ministry of Education and Culture regulates canteen service in the country’s educational institutions. Compliance with the resolution could contribute to prevention of public health problems. Objective: Identify the degree of compliance with Ministry of Education and Culture Resolution 12774/03 in the canteens of 23 public schools in the city of Asuncion, Paraguay. Methods: Of a total of 76 public schools in Asuncion, 23 schools (30%) were chosen in a simple drawing. A twopart survey was used to evaluate compliance with the resolution. The first part was done as by interviewing the persons in charge of the respective canteens, and the second was filled out by the survey-taker based on visual inspection of the facility (furniture, utensils, and infrastructure) and personnel (hygiene and food handling). Results: We found that all 23 canteens (100%) offered foods that were unhealthy for the children, including candy, cookies, and carbonated beverages (soda pop). In 83% of the canteens the lowest-priced food available was candy. Regarding hygiene, we found that only 13% of canteen employees used an apron and only 9% covered their hair, while 70% covered their hands to serve food. It was noted that 30% of the canteens did not have a sink for hand washing. Conclusion: No canteen complied with the resolution completely. The most important findings were: A high presence of offerings of unhealthy foods, a shortage of offerings of nutritional foodstuffs, and the lack of hygiene in food-handling.

Keywords : Resolutions; Government Regulation; School Feeding.

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