Expert Recall

Mike Rozembajgier

You might have control over what your children eat for lunch when you pack it for them, but what about when they buy their food from the school cafeteria? The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently published a report which found that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) “did not always ensure that states and schools received timely and complete notification about suspect food products provided to schools through the federal commodity program.” The findings of this GAO audit are likely shocking to parents of children in our nation’s school systems.

Despite increasing concern and focus on food and consumer safety, federal school meal programs were not always notified of recalls in a timely and complete manner. As a result, children – who are already at increased risk for developing illness as a result of foodbourne illnesses like Salmonella – were exposed to undue risk when exposed to recalled products in school lunches.

Following its report, the GAO has recommended that notification procedures and instructions on carrying out recalls be improved. Additionally, the GAO outlined steps that USDA and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services should take to improve monitoring the effectiveness of recalls, including improving recall communications and procedures between government entities and schools. While this sounds promising on paper, what should this look like in practice?

First and foremost, it is critical that our states and schools are held to the same recall standards as any food processor, company, manufacturer or retailer. Government entities involved with food programs and food safety, state programs, and school systems should have plans and procedures in place to handle food recalls. Just as schools and state education systems have emergency preparedness plans and notification systems in place, there should be recall preparedness plans in place to keep our children’s cafeteria food safe.

Additionally, effectiveness checks are critical to ensure adequate notification and response has been achieved and consumers, particularly children, are safe. Working together with government agencies, food suppliers, and school systems, we can ensure our children’s lunches are safe even when we don’t pack them ourselves.

Stericycle ExpertRECALL™ is the industry leader in recall logistics and regulatory compliance for consumer product, pharmaceutical, medical device, juvenile product, and food and beverage recalls. ExpertRECALL’s professionals are experts in recall management who can help you streamline the entire product recall process.

3 Responses to “Reducing Risk of School Cafeteria Food”

1. Jeffrey says:

   October 9, 2009 at 12:51 pm

   I found your blog on google and read a few of your other posts. I just added you to my Google News Reader. Keep up the good work. Look forward to reading more from you in the future.
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   November 4, 2009 at 10:16 pm

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   January 25, 2010 at 3:59 am

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