Evaluation of the use of the Keys to Excellence: Standards of Practice for Nutrition Integrity

Nutrition integrity was defined by the American School Food Service Association in 1990, and since that time efforts have been made to ensure nutrition integrity in child nutrition programs. One important effort was the development of the Keys to Excellence: Standards of Practice for Nutrition Integrity. The purpose of this study was to determine if school districts have adopted a nutrition integrity policy, if they are using the Keys to Excellence, and how the use of the standards impacts nutrition and nutrition education practices. A written questionnaire was mailed to the 82 school district directors who had pilot tested the Keys to Excellence, and to a random sample of 84 school district directors who had not participated in the pilot test. Fifty-eight of the pilot test school district directors and 40 of the non-pilot school district directors responded. Twenty-three of the 96 school districts have adopted a nutrition integrity policy. The following benefits were noted: improved awareness of the value of nutrition for school foodservice employees, teachers, administrators, and parents; lowered fat content of items served; promoted customer and employee knowledge of program goals; increased confidence in the quality of the program; and increased participation. More of the school foodservice directors who participated in the pilot test reported use of the Keys to Excellence, however, fewer than half are still using them. We found that most schools are using food-based menus and schools vary widely in the variety of menu items offered. Slightly more than half of respondents have a Nutrition Advisory Council (NAC) and nearly all schools (n = 91) have nutrition education materials available for teachers. Ninety-three school districts use standardized recipes, and information recorded on production records varies. Implementation of a nutrition integrity policy have many positive results, thus, it is recommended to school foodservice directors. Continued emphasis and training on the use of the Keys to Excellence will ensure that nutrition integrity is enhanced in child nutrition programs.