Study on the Utilization of Local Food Products by School Meal Service Support Centers

Minyeong Oh, Hei-Ryeo Yoon^*

Department of Foodservice Management and Nutrition, Kongju National University, Korea

Abstract

This study evaluated the food ingredient procurement patterns of School Meal Service Support Centers, based on a survey of 451 nutrition professionals (nutrition teachers and dietitians), categorized into a metropolitan group (G1) and a small to medium-sized city group (G2). The objective was to provide foundational data for enhancing regional operational efficiency. Key findings revealed that high-quality local food ingredients were the most frequently purchased items through the centers. The overall IPA (Importance-Performance Analysis) identified a statistically significant gap between the perceived importance and actual performance for the following attributes: ‘quality’ (taste, size), ‘freshness’, ‘packaging and labeling’, ‘price appropriateness’, and ‘sufficiency of supply’. On the other hand, no significant discrepancy was found for ‘hygiene and safety or ‘product diversity’. The comparative analysis showed distinct group differences. For importance, the G1 group assigned significantly higher ratings than the G2 group across all attributes: quality, freshness, packaging, hygiene and safety, product diversity, and price appropriateness. Regarding performance, the G1 group also reported higher satisfaction in the specific areas of quality, freshness, packaging and labeling, hygiene and safety, and product diversity than the G2 group.