home    about    browse    search    latest    help 
Login | Create Account

Differences between real and perceived quality among users of school catering – survey on 40 Italian schools

Spigarolo, Roberto; Donegani, Giorgio; Giorgi, Giulio and Sarti, Valerio (2010) Differences between real and perceived quality among users of school catering – survey on 40 Italian schools. International Centre for Research in Organic Food Systems (ICROFS), Tjele, Denmark.

[thumbnail of iPOPY_WP3_QualitySurvey40SchoolsItaly_EN.pdf]
Preview
PDF - Updated Version - English
2MB


Summary

This report investigates how food quality is perceived in school canteens and to what extent this perception, influencing public opinion about the catering service quality, reflects the real quality of served meals. The objective of this work is therefore to investigate the relationships between real and perceived quality of meals in the sustainable school catering sector.
The study has been built upon a survey made over a sample of 7.500 catering service users (about 6.500 pupils and 1.000 adults) concerning the knowledge of quality/sustainability of canteen products, non-food aspects of the service (e.g.: staff management, canteen environment), the satisfaction level and possible/necessary improvements.
In the present work it emerges a satisfactory knowledge level towards both taste aspects of canteen food and added-value food quality components (organic, short chain, seasonal, fair-trade, food miles). Nevertheless there is a significant lack of information exchange causing a unfruitful gap between service management and service users; as users are not enough aware of the key characteristics of the canteen service, educational programs and a participatory approach management should be implemented.


EPrint Type:Report
Keywords:iPOPY; school meal system; organic food; perceived quality, Italy, public procurement
Subjects: Food systems > Food security, food quality and human health
Food systems > Policy environments and social economy
Food systems > Produce chain management
Research affiliation: European Union > CORE Organic > iPOPY
ISBN:978-87-92499-13-4
DOI:Core Organic Project Series Report
Related Links:http://www.agrsci.dk/ipopy
Deposited By: Spigarolo, Dr. Roberto
ID Code:17622
Deposited On:20 Sep 2010 07:23
Last Modified:20 Sep 2010 07:23
Document Language:English
Status:Published
Refereed:Not peer-reviewed

Repository Staff Only: item control page

Downloads

Downloads per month over past year

View more statistics