Posted on 07/31/2002 5:18:06 AM PDT by Pharmboy
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Over the last 25 years, outbreaks of foodborne illness linked to subsidized school lunches sickened tens of thousands of students and school staff, sent hundreds to the hospital and caused one death, according to a new report.
Currently, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) spends about $7 billion annually to provide food or funding for more than 33 million lunches and breakfasts served daily to American schoolchildren.
"However, USDA directly provides only a small percentage of food served in schools," according to lead author Dr. Nicholas A. Daniels of the University of California, San Francisco, and colleagues.
Roughly 83% of food served in the federal program is purchased by local schools with USDA funding, the report indicates, with the remainder donated directly to schools by the USDA in the form of beef, poultry, fruits, vegetables, grain and milk.
In the current report, Daniels and colleagues evaluated information collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( news - web sites)'s Foodborne Outbreak Surveillance System between 1973 and 1997. Their findings are published in the July issue of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Journal.
Outbreaks of foodborne illness linked to subsidized school lunches sickened an estimated 49,963 children and teachers, sent slightly more than 1,500 individuals to the hospital and caused one death, the researchers report.
During that time, a total of 604 outbreaks of foodborne disease were reported, with the number of annual outbreaks ranging from 9 to 44. Salmonella was the most commonly identified illness-causing bug, accounting for 36% of outbreaks, the findings indicate.
Salmonella can cause vomiting, diarrhea and fever in healthy adults, and can be deadly for the elderly or people with weak immune systems.
Foods containing poultry (18.6%), salads (6%), Mexican-style food (6%), beef (5.7%) and dairy products excluding ice cream (5%) were most commonly identified as being contaminated. Improper food storage and holding temperatures, and food contaminated by a food handler were the most commonly reported food handling practices associated with outbreaks, according to the report.
"Strengthening food safety measures in schools would better protect students and school staff from outbreaks of foodborne illness," the authors write.
"Infection control policies, such as training and certification of food handlers in the proper storage and cooking of foods, meticulous hand washing and paid sick leave for food handlers with (gastrointestinal illness) could make meals safer for American students," Daniels and colleagues conclude.
SOURCE: Pediatric Infectious Diseases Journal 2002;21:623-628.
ENFORCING food safety measures would go a long way in solving the problem, and disciplining workers and/or managers who fail to follow safety measures would help as well.
"Infection control policies, such as training and certification of food handlers in the proper storage and cooking of foods, meticulous hand washing and paid sick leave for food handlers with (gastrointestinal illness) could make meals safer for American students,"
This is already standard procedure in Texas.
The problem is that too many workers just don't give a damn about what they're doing.
In the cafeteria where I work, we won't serve anything to the students that we wouldn't serve to our own children.
We follow all temperature and storage procedures and usually get a 100 rating on health inspections.
(and yes, even lunch ladies can be FReepers :)
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