There have been many rumors flying around regarding the cafeteria these past couple months. While many don’t consider waiting in the lunch line their favorite time of day, the cafeteria gives credit to its name by keeping us fed once, if not twice daily. Though even with all of the protocols and rules surrounding sanitation and food safety, something always seems to go amiss. While this is by no means an attack on our beloved lunch ladies, there is growing speculation on our food’s integrity, whether it be true or not.
One of the most talked about discrepancies regarding our healthy meals in recent memory was a part of the nationwide salmonella scare, that was carried via cucumbers sold by SunFed Produce, LLC, (which is one of the district’s vendors) according to the recent incident alert reported on by the CDC. There were several cases of food poisoning caused by the outbreak in Washington State, however no one was seriously hurt and the last recorded selling date of the cucumbers was November 27, 2024. The cucumbers were in the lunch rotation from November 18- 23 and then again on November 25-27, but yet again no one got sick. One reason the public panic spread was because there was no direct communication addressed to the students, nor an email notifying parents of the contamination, but rather a Facebook post sent from the Granite Falls School District account.
Another difference in procedure that has been brought to the public’s attention is wrapped versus unwrapped apples in plastic bags. Now this topic might not sound like the most interesting of all the changes, but here is why it is important to our daily meals:
After all, the fruit and vegetables that we grab are some of the only things not processed in our school diet and while some processed foods can have the same levels of nutrients as fresh foods, the majority of processed foods are filled with unnecessary sugars. Apples being the main attraction for the grab and go lunch were traditionally bagged so that maggots and coddling moths don’t get inside the center. Of course with the many hands touching the fruit, it also keeps down the germ count. Obviously the downside to all the plastic bags is that it is not great for the Earth, as well as the unnecessary labor involved in the bagging is a continuous event.
Perhaps the most recent event was the theft of eleven sandwiches that was committed last week and reported over the intercom. Now this may not seem significant however all those sandwiches totaled up to $41.25 worth of lunch money owed. In the aftermath of this strange cafeteria episode, according to information floating around the school, the lunch ladies were told by their supervisors to keep the food that is usually kept along the line as well as in the heated boxes (hamburgers, sandwiches and salads, etc.) behind the counter. These items would be available upon request, but it inconvenienced the long lines during lunch. There is still hope though, due to a pizza sighting on the spinning wheel, so it is a possibility that the hot box hamburgers will make a reappearance.
Possibly the most questionable part of the whole lunch program is that the high school is the only school in the district that requires everyone to pay for their lunch. Every other school in the district gets free meals for the 2024-2025 school year, breakfast and lunch. This is because according to the district website, high school doesn’t meet the requirements for the CEP or HB1238 to enact the free lunch bill. What the CEP and HB1238 does is require schools to give all students free meals if over 30% of the student population are signed up for the free and reduced lunch programs. The high school does not meet the requirements of the program, although the data may be skewed if the free and reduced lunch paperwork is not filled out. Currently breakfast prices are $2.25 and lunches are $3.75.
Our beloved lunch ladies are doing their best with the resources available to them. While amid complaints about school quality food it is important to remember that the school is subject to food safety laws that are more inflexible compared to any restaurant.