Authorities offer conflicting viewpoints on whether animal foods are essential to the health of young children or whether they can ingest the nutrients they need from plant sources. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) contends that because of the small capacity of young children's stomachs, they are not likely to consume all of the…

Described are laboratory methods for enumerating microorganisms in food. These methods are utilized to determine if foods are potentially hazardous to the consumer due to high concentrations of microorganisms. Discussed are indicator organisms, including coliforms, interococci, yeasts, and molds; food poisoning organisms (staphylococci and…

Discusses the need for environmental health inspections in schools. Reports on the results of a survey of Clackamas County (Oregon) school kitchens, in relation to a high incidence of hepatitis A. Describes the variety of violations found and urges that schools no longer be exempt from state health division regulations. (TW)