Ensuring School Cafeteria Food Safety
When we talk about school safety, the premiere thing that comes to mind is physical security. Other issues that are at the forefront of this topic would be school bus safety, bullying, shooting, building safety, and the like. I do not think that school cafeteria food safety is way up the top of the list, do you?
Yet I see how important this issue is and that it should actually score high in importance as many of the other issues. We’re talking food here and we all know how food can cause serious damage or injury to a person if it is contaminated. Remember the recent spate of salmonella poisoning due to some varieties of tomatoes? Remember how an incident like that caused an outrage all over the United States? Now imagine if something similar had happened with regard to school cafeteria food. I am sure the hullabaloo would be just as great or even more.
Then there is another aspect to school cafeteria food – nutrition. Without a doubt, school cafeteria food makes up a huge chunk of our children’s daily meals. Though they may eat breakfast and dinner at home, their lunch (which is a very important meal to get them through the day) is eaten in school. How sure are we that they are getting nutritious food in school? How do we know that they are getting a proper meal away from home?
These are only some of the major issues involving school cafeteria food. I suppose the responsibility lies directly in the hands of school authorities, who should ensure that our children get good, nutritious, and safe food in our cafeterias. I like what some schools in Alabama are doing right now. A short report by WTYTV shares:
Cafeteria workers are studying hard to make sure your children’s food is safe to eat.
This week, workers from several Wiregrass schools attended a three day workshop to hone their food safety skills.
The class touches on food borne illnesses and the need to keep food at proper temperatures and stored safely.
The class is a chance for workers to share their concerns about food safety and learn the newest techniques.
In 2010 it will be a state requirement that at least one worker on each shift at schools is serve safe trained.
This is something that might be taken for granted today. I hope that during the summer vacation, other schools throughout the United States would do the same thing.
Don't miss another post -- subscribe by email or RSS today!
Posted on July 17th, 2008 by Deborah J Thomas
Filed under: Administrators, High School, K-6, News, People Involved, School Grade Level, School Safety Issues
Leave a Reply