Emergency preparedness needs assessment of centralized school foodservice and warehousing operations

Managers of onsite retail foodservice operations, particularly those in centralized school foodservice operations, are called on to provide meals during emergencies, yet there is a paucity of research on their readiness to handle emergencies. Qualitative research and a cross-sectional survey design were used to conduct a needs assessment for emergency preparedness (emergency readiness, food recalls, and food defense) in centralized school foodservice operations, including warehousing. An open-ended written questionnaire was mailed to eight foodservice directors, and responses were used to develop a written questionnaire that was mailed to school foodservice directors in 200 districts identified as having centralized food production and warehousing. Directors from 78 districts responded (39% response rate). Most districts (n=72) had an emergency response team, and foodservice was included as part of 63 of those teams. Not all districts had written procedures for food recalls (47 of 73), natural disasters (37 of 74), or food defense (30 of 74). Barriers to implementing emergency preparedness policies and procedures included limited money, emergency equipment, and time. Most current training related to food safety with little training related to emergency preparedness. Training on the emergency preparedness plan was done in 61 of 78 districts. Training on emergency procedures was done by less than half of the districts during the previous year. This study identified best practices related to emergency preparedness that can be implemented in onsite retail foodservice operations. Results indicate a need to emphasize emergency preparedness, develop written standard operating procedures, and train employees to be prepared to respond to emergencies.