School district takes action after photo surfaces of worm in lunch at a Lexington school

After seeing a photo of “what appears to be a worm” in corn in a Lexington middle school cafeteria lunch earlier this month, Fayette district officials said they took action.

“If true, this unfortunate situation is certainly not indicative of the standard of excellence we strive to meet and exceed each day in our cafeterias. ” said Fayette County Public Schools’ district spokeswoman Lisa Deffendall. “Our students deserve nothing but the best and we deeply regret any time we fall short.”

In an email Wednesday night, Deffendall said that two weeks ago, the principal at Southern Middle School was made aware that students “were circulating a photo of what appears to be a worm on a blue cafeteria tray. “

A photo shows that the worm was found in a serving of corn.

“Although we could not verify the authenticity of the photo, the principal immediately notified the cafeteria manager,” Deffendall said. “Out of an abundance of caution, the cafeteria manager disposed of all the remaining frozen corn in school inventory and contacted both the distributor and the district child nutrition department.”

Deffendall said the photo was reported to have been taken at Southern the day before, however, no student at the school reported such an incident. Most of the cafeteria trays used at Southern Middle School are red, but there are a few blue trays in circulation as well, she said.

She said the Fayette district Department of Child Nutrition works diligently to prepare and serve more than 38,300 healthy and appetizing meals each day for students.

The work includes strict adherence to all food storage, handling, and sanitation guidelines, as well as routine health department inspections, Deffendall said. Most of the vegetables served in the Fayette school district cafeterias arrive frozen, having been harvested from the farm and then processed, she said.

“Although infrequent, there are times when debris makes its way through the inspection process,” Deffendall said.

Deffendall said any time a student has a concern about the food they are served, district officials encourage them to alert the child nutrition staff so appropriate action can be taken right away and the food in question can be replaced.

When staff are made aware, they can investigate and validate student concerns, or correct misunderstandings, she said. For example, students often ask child nutrition staff about the dusting of yeast on their rolls, wondering if it is safe to eat, Deffendall said.

“A similar situation occurred recently at Tates Creek Middle School when a parent raised concerns about a picture taken by their child that appeared to be mold on an orange slice,” said Deffendall.

The Child Nutrition Department concluded that the imperfection on the surface of the orange was pith — the white part between the peel and the fruit — that had not been removed during processing. Fruit served in the cafeteria is usually consumed within a day of opening, so there is little opportunity for mold to grow, she said.

Health dept. will inspect. Cafeterias usually score well.

The Lexington-Fayette County Health Department was not notified of the incident, said Luke Mathis, environmental health team leader.

“We will conduct an inspection on this establishment,” Mathis said.

The food service at Southern was last inspected in September. They received a 99%, he said.

“We have not received any reports or complaints regarding these issues at any of the school cafeterias,” Mathis said. “School cafeteria foodservices typically score very high on our inspections, largely due to the value that the kitchen staff place on food safety and proper procedures.”

The parent of the child who was served the corn declined to comment.

Todd Burus, a parent advocate in Fayette County, said he had been in contact with that parent and had also heard from a “handful” of parents from multiple schools concerned about mold on food and expired milk.

Burus said parents from multiple schools have spoken to him with concerns over the quality of food their children are receiving in Fayette County Public Schools cafeterias.

“I think it is important that we take these concerns seriously,” Burus said. “We all know that good nutrition is crucial for the health and growth of our children, and that there are many kids in our community who depend on the food their school provides. I trust that FCPS will look into these recent complaints and carry out a quick and transparent process of addressing them.”

He said the district should be forthcoming about whatever they find.

This story was originally published January 26, 2023 at 6:55 AM.