Editor's Note
Change. The word itself evokes many feelings: excitement,
fear, challenge. Webster defines change as "to make radically different,
to give a different position, course, or direction to." Synonyms include
transform, alter, vary, and modify. With Issue 1, 2002, The Journal of Child Nutrition & Management
is undergoing a major change, from print format to electronic format. The typical
feelings associated with change are being felt by the editor, editorial staff,
and authors. As I have tried to allay some of these fears, I have thought through
the advantages of this change to the profession - and I think there are many. The biggest advantage of the new electronic format will be easier accessibility
to the Journal, which should result in a larger readership. We're hopeful
that more school foodservice practitioners will read the Journal and
use the information provided in this publication to solve problems and improve
practices. The good news for those of us teaching classes is that the Journal
will be available online for our students' use. Be assured that we will
continue using the same submission and review procedures to ensure the continued
quality and rigor of articles. The layout also will be similar, so that when
the article is downloaded and printed, it will resemble articles from past issues.
Additionally, we will continue to publish two issues each year, in late spring
and late fall. We will, however, continue to look at ways to make the whole
submission, review, and production process more efficient. Going online exclusively will save the Association printing and mailing costs,
thereby making continued publication of the Journal more feasible. The
bottom line is that the gains may be far greater than the "give ups."
As one author noted, "I am comfortable with the change in format and delighted
to submit my manuscript for consideration under these innovative conditions."
This first online issue has several articles that will be of interest to school
foodservice practitioners and academicians. Research related to the time for
students to eat meals is summarized in an article by Conklin, Lambert, and Anderson.
Giampaoli et al. address food safety issues in two articles: One identifies
school foodservice directors' attitudes about food safety and HACCP programs
and barriers to implementation of safe practices, and another presents a practical
audit tool that could be used to assess employee food-handling practices. The
article on superintendents' perceptions of school foodservice provides evidence
about the stress of running a foodservice program for the administrator, and
the need to have qualified foodservice directors operate financially viable
programs. Two newer issues are addressed in articles by Gregoire and Strohbehn
and Lee and Shanklin: one relates to purchasing food from local growers and
producers, and another relates to food recovery in school foodservice. Finally,
Sullivan et al. present the results of a national study on training needs of
foodservice managers. We hope that you will like the "new" Journal. We look forward
to your feedback and ideas for other ways this resource can be improved. I would
like to thank the Journal editors, ASFSA's Web team, and art director
for working through the many issues involved with this change. Kudos to you
for your hard work and dedication to making the Journal the best it can
be. This new format demonstrates our commitment to change and innovation. So, continue to read the latest
research about child nutrition programs! Jeannie Sneed, PhD, RD, SFNS |