SCHOOL NUTRITION TRAINING NEEDS REGARDING FOOD SENSITIVITIES AND FOOD TRENDS.

Over 50 million Americans have a food allergy to one or more foods (Berdanier, 2017). Approximately 1 in 25 school-aged children are diagnosed with food allergies (Sicherer, Mahr, & The Section on Allergy and Immunology, 2010), while 25% of children may not experience a reaction until later in life (Leo & Clark, 2017). A food sensitivity or intolerance, on the other hand, can be defined as any undesired reaction to a food or food group (Berdanier, 2017). As of now, research regarding school nutrition professionals' knowledge of food sensitivities, food intolerances, and food trends that may affect students' food preferences is not available. Yet, food trends show that some consumers are demanding specialized diets including milk/dairy alternatives, meat alternatives, as well as foods that align with Whole30, and low-FODMAP diets (Brissette, 2018). Because of this demand, there is a need for training school nutrition personnel about food sensitivities as well as new food trends, in addition to food allergy training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]