The grab-and-go meals offered by the school district have become a part of the lives of many Long Beach families. Parents were happy since then until a social media post became viral showing expired and possibly moldy cheese served as part of school lunches.
And now parents of Riverside Unified School District students are crying foul they handed out a sandwich that had a substance that appeared to have some time of mold-like substance upon it.
It all started when a Long Beach mother of two Marie Elias, noticed a blackish substance on the bread on the breakfast sandwiches her son brought home.
“I have no idea what child would eat this and I have no idea what parent in their right mind would give this to their children,” she said. “Seriously! Look at it!”
She continued:
“It would be bad enough with the top egg being like that, but the egg also looks bad too. All you have to do is look closely at the egg and you can see that it is all over the place.”
Marie presumed that it was mold and so she took to social media.
She was totally flabbergasted when responses to her post kept flooding in. She quickly realized that she wasn’t the only one who had received these strange-looking biscuit sandwiches.
“I had a bunch of Hispanic mothers messaging me in Spanish and they were like – what do I do? Should I feed this to my child? I don’t have a morning meal for them other than this,” Elias reported.
Indeed, there are many mothers in Long Beach that depend on these morning meals to feed their children.
“It looked rank to me. I’m pretty concerned now,” said parent Claudia Flores.
Other parents had similar reactions to viewing the photos which were posted to the Facebook group “What is going on in Riverside County?” by someone who says they were concerned for the safety and health of students.
“If this is something that RUSD is providing to all of the schools then in that case I have to send from my home lunch to my son. That way I know he is eating good food,” said Diana Lopez.
An expiration date of June 15, 2021, is seen on the packaging in one photo. In another, white specks dot cheese slices are placed on sandwich bread, and while it may not look appealing, it’s not mold.
In a statement to Eyewitness News, RUSD Nutritional Services Team says:
“RUSD leadership is aware of the social media post regarding cheese and can assure you that the cheese does not contain mold and is safe to eat. What you see on the photo are crystals from storing the cheese in the freezer, which extends the shelf life. According to the USDA, cheese kept continuously frozen at 0 degrees Fahrenheit is safe to consume for 6 months after the sell-by date.
The cheese manufacturer, Bongards Premium Cheese, also confirmed that the cheese contains emulsified crystals from storing in the freezer, but it is not mold and does not pose a food safety issue.The RUSD Nutrition Services Central Kitchen continues to maintain an A rating from the County of Riverside Department of Environmental Health and remains committed to providing safe and nutritious meals for students.”
Even so, some parents remain skeptical.
Source: Trendingrightwing
