By Jade Schwarting
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A 2005 investigation of school cafeterias by “Dateline NBC” found that in just a few months after the start of the school year, seven students and a teacher in New Jersey became ill after getting Salmonella poisoning from the cafeteria food. According to a 2007 investigation of Indiana cafeterias by “Channel 13 News,” some cafeterias, such as those in Kokomo, had not been inspected for 19 months, possibly leading to serious health violations.
More common than most think, cafeteria food-borne illnesses are becoming more and more widespread in the United States. However, according to assistant cafeteria manager Beth Galloway, students have nothing to fear.

Galloway said via e-mail, “The Board of Health comes out and inspects every cafeteria twice per year. They have the ability to close a kitchen down if there are gross violations. We have already passed our fall inspection this year and the inspector commented on how clean our kitchen was, especially considering the amount of food that comes out of our kitchen.”

Galloway said the main cafeteria serves approximately 2,000 students each day and, generally, food is not reused. “Any food out on a salad bar must be thrown away at the end of the day. That is why the fourth line might not have the lettuce or other items filled up to the brim,” Galloway said. “If a specialty salad, such as a chef salad that is served in the clear plastic container, is left over, then we can put it out the next day. It is kept refrigerated between lines and in a cooler during the lines so it has been kept at a safe temperature.”

“Most of our products can be served again one time. For example, a pan of macaroni that is left over can be frozen then thawed and used the next time. It would be used first for that day.”

Although the cafeteria food is not pre-made and completely fresh, junior Maryam Semssar said she has noticed a trend of food re-use in the cafeterias. “They always have chicken fingers and deli bar in the main (cafeteria). It’s not good if we’re eating old food. We could get sick. I think the re-use of food can put our health at risk,” Semssar said.

While some foods are re-used, Galloway said opinions of people like Semssar are inaccurate. The food is stored properly and most of the meals are completely fresh. She said, “We get deliveries from different companies daily. Many of our items come from Gordon Food Service which is very well known for the good products they make. We also get shipments of fresh fruits and salads twice a week. All items are checked in and put in the fridge or freezer immediately. We cook fresh all day long; no items are prepared when they come in.”

Although Semssar said eating re-used food could put her health at risk, she said, “I wouldn’t want to know how old (the food is), because then I wouldn’t eat it.”

While almost 250 school cafeteria violations in Indiana in 2000 were recorded by the United States Department of Agriculture, this school stands high above many other local schools. Semssar said, “I think for the most part (the food) is safe but it can always be improved.”