Dr. Masayo Ikeda, a researcher from the Tokyo University of Agriculture in Japan, gave an overview on how the food and nutrition of Japanese school children are being managed in a lecture held at the IHNF Lecture Hall on June 20, 2018.
During her lecture, titled Food and Nutritional Management of Nursery Schools in Japan, Dr. Ikeda explained that lunch service management is an integral part of food services in Japan. Lunch management, according to Dr. Ikeda, involves “nutrition and meal management, hygiene and safety management, food management, facility and equipment management, business management,” among others.
The Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle of food and nutrition management in nursery schools was also explained. She explained that there are measures and standards in preparing the set menu, meals, and evaluation.
Dr. Ikeda also showed examples of standard set of menus in Japan, which consists of staple food, main dish, side dishes, soup, dessert, and a drink. “The staple food contains carbohydrates, the main dish contains proteins – meat, fish, egg, dishes using soy products. The side dishes contain vitamins and minerals, the fruits contain vitamins, and the soup uses ingredients that were not supplied by the other dishes,” she said.
She also explained that in preparing the usual nursery school lunch, “we take into consideration how appetizing it looks, the arrangement of the food, and the hue of the meal.” There are also special meals on special days, such as Children’s Day and Christmas buffet style lunches.
ICTs is also used in food and nutrition management. According to Dr. Ikeda, “In Japan, we use a nutrition calculation software to create a menu table.”
Food education is now given empahsis in schools, according to Dr. Ikeda. “Nutritionists educate students concerning meals in classrooms. By doing this, they will become interested in meals and find importance in food production and nutrition management at an early age,” she said. In some schools, students are also taught food preparation, such as washing rice, peeling the skin of the corn, and making bread, and agricultural practices, such as planting and harvesing.
Evaluation meaasures are also conducted, such as physical measurements, cost analysis, taste survey, and residue survey. “By doing the proper evaluation, better and improved lunch meals are provided for next time,” Dr. Ikeda said.
The lecture on food and nutritional management of nursery schools in Japan is part of Dr. Ikeda’s four-day visit in the University of the Philippines Los Baños.
– Guien Eidrefson Garma
