School cafeterias focus on safety and nutrition

“But we offer choices that include ham once or twice a week and people seem to think that’s fine.”

The first day of school came after Maple Leaf products had been recalled—and Digby Elementary cafeteria didn’t use that brand.

While the recall of those processed meats underscored the fact that food can be contaminated during the manufacturing process, proper food preparation and storage is also critical to prevent contamination and ensure quality.

School cafeterias throughout the province have strict safety guidelines in place and training is provided in this area.

Keeping hot foods hot and cold foods cold is one of the golden rules of food preparation. At Digby Elementary, there are separate counters for hot and cold foods and often even different people taking charge of the two.

Counters and equipment are kept sparkling clean. Moore and other cafeteria staff also wash hands frequently—a practice she says is more effective than wearing plastic gloves.

Beyond the safety factor, of course, is ensuring students have the opportunity to purchase healthy food.

Cold, fresh milk is delivered to the school cafeteria. The milk program, in place since 1974, ensures milk is not just available, but affordable. A 250 ml. carton costs just 35 cents.

Pop, sports drinks and sweetened juices are no longer available in schools.

That change was part of the province’s new food and nutrition policy, introduced in late 2005 and phased in, since then, in various stages.

A typical $3 lunch for a student now includes a hamburger, salad, milk and fruit. Each day, two lunch choices are offered.

The nutrition program—with lunches served in school cafeterias covering the major food groups—has received mixed reviews. The program basically bans junk food.

On the one hand, the program’s adoption means parents now have control over what younger children eat, since cookies, candy, hot dogs and sugary drinks are no longer available in the schools.

If parents want their kids to have ‘treats’, they can still include them in their lunch boxes.

On the other hand, many children still bring those foods to school—and their sale once resulted in a profit for school cafeteria. “We used to be able to pay our staff, and buy furniture and equipment,” says Moore.

The vast majority of students at Digby Elementary School now bring lunches from home, says Moore. This fact means parents have to be equally aware of the rules of food preparation.

Lunches are kept with the student in the classroom; keeping cold foods cold can be as simple as including an ice pack or a frozen juice box in a refrigerated lunch bag. Thermal containers can be used for hot lunches.

Moore says that, when it comes to selling lunches in the cafeteria, sales seem to suffer when the word ‘healthy’ is used to describe a choice. Many kids seem equate healthy is unappetizing.

The latest phase of the nutrition program means no more pepperoni pizzas and no more hot dogs in school cafeterias.

The demise of hot dog day—once a weekly event at Digby Elementary School—has meant a significant decrease in sales, according to Moore. “We used to have as many as 120 students buying lunch on hot dog day. This year we have about 30-35 students buying lunch each day.”