Milk use and handling in elementary school child nutrition programs

A national mail survey of 1,000 elementary school foodservice managers who were members of the American School Food Service Association (ASFSA) was conducted to provide information on the current status of milk handling practices in elementary schools. To complete this study, the researchers developed a questionnaire using the Total Design Method (TDM) by Dillman (1978) and tested it using a strategy described by Sneed (1992). A majority (86.7%) of the 258 respondents had worked in school foodservice for over 10 years, and 86.4% had completed some sanitation training. Respondents in this study appeared to be typical school foodservice employees who remain on the job for many years and take advantage of training opportunities to improve their skills. Respondents reported frequent milk deliveries, and 81.6% relied on truck drivers to rotate milk. Frequent deliveries indicate a short storage period and rapid stock turnover, however, reliance on the delivery truck driver to stock coolers limited routine staff inspection for package cleanliness and integrity, expiration date, and arrival temperature. Over three fourths (76.7%) of respondents stored milk in a chest refrigerator and 57.2% of respondents selected it as ideal. A single-use chest refrigerator promotes safe handling of milk by reducing the potential for cross-contamination from raw foods, by maintaining safe milk temperatures during service, and by offering portability and convenience. In 86.2% of schools, students retrieved milk directly from the milk refrigerator. The majority (98.3%) of respondents recommended a milk storage temperature in the ideal range of 32 degrees F to 41 degrees F. While 97.0% of respondents reported milk temperatures before lunch between 32 degrees F to 41 degrees F, only 66.3% did so after lunch. When milk temperatures exceed 41 degrees F, both quality and safety are compromised. Staff at schools where recommended milk temperatures are not achieved should determine the cause and seek solutions. Overall, elementary school foodservice managers appear to have appropriate knowledge of recommended milk storage temperatures for both quality and safety, but may lack information regarding the effectiveness of various types of refrigeration equipment and may underestimate the need to monitor milk on a routine basis.