Evaluation of the nutritional quality of the food supply of six school cafeterias in the city of San Salvador.

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the nutritional quality of the food supply of the cafeterias that work within six educational institutions at the high school level in the city of San Salvador, to know the safety risks of the food offered to the students, the conditions of infrastructure and know the nutritional status of students. The research was descriptive and cross-sectional, with an analytical approach, considering 6 school cafeterias from private institutions located in different areas of the capital city, including a stratified probabilistic sample of 524 high school students of both sexes. The main results show that about 73% of the products offered in cafeterias were characterized by being an important source of carbohydrates and fats, constituting an obesogenic offer, neglecting especially the protein, vitamin and mineral content of food. With regard to the risk of violations of regulations that guarantee food safety, it was found that, in general terms, school cafeterias had a risk classified as low to moderate.