Tuesday, February 08, 2000
Schools hold off on nuggets
Questionable chickens used by processor
BY TIM BONFIELD
The Cincinnati Enquirer
State and federal food safety officials say it's OK for students to eat chicken nuggets served at school.
But several local districts, including Princeton, Lakota, Hamilton and Fort Thomas, Ky., have decided not to serve chicken products made by Atlanta-based Gold Kist Inc. until they get more official assurance.
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MAKING A CHICKEN NUGGET
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The main reason Ohio agriculture and school nutrition officials say children face no risk in eating Gold Kist chicken nuggets stems from the way the nuggets are processed:
• The U.S. Department of Agriculture buys large amounts of raw chicken from farmers. Each state then gets its “fair share” to be offered for school lunch programs.
• Each state then holds a bidding competition to decide which processing plants will turn truckloads of chicken meat into frozen nuggets and patties. In Ohio, Gold Kist won the contract to serve more than 1,000 school districts.
• Coming into the plant, the chicken is inspected. Carcasses with visible sores and scabs are supposed to be removed, even though chicken diseases may pose no health risk to humans. Regulations allow bad parts to be cut out and the rest of the chicken returned to the processing line. (In the latest controversy, allegations have emerged that inspectors allowed diseased chickens to pass at a Gold Kist plant in Guntersville, Ala.)
• The plant then chops the chick ens into tiny bits, molds them into nuggets or pressed patties, batters them, cooks them and freezes them for shipment. At “critical control points” in this process, the food is inspected again to check for proper temperatures and food handling techniques.
• Officials say the first cooking, done properly, will kill bacteria from any diseased chickens. There have been no allegations that Gold Kist failed to properly cook its products.
• The frozen nuggets and patties are stored in warehouses for distribution to local school districts. Since July 1, Ohio has received more than 4.4 million pounds of chicken product from Gold Kist.
• At the school, the chicken nuggets or patties are cooked again. Regulations require cooking them until the internal temperature reaches 180 degrees. This second cooking, done properly, also will kill bacteria.
Sources: U.S. and Ohio agriculture departments, and the Ohio Department of Education's Division of Child Nutrition Services
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“We're holding onto them,” said Fort Thomas spokeswoman Lee McGinley. “We're only going to serve the food if it's good for the kids. We're waiting on instructions on what to do.”
A Cox News Service story, published in Sunday's Enquirer, listed Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana among 31 states where schools may have received diseased chicken products made by two Gold Kist processing plants in Alabama. Gold Kist is a huge chicken processor that has served some area schools districts for many years.
No product has been recalled. No children have been reported sick from eating Gold Kist chicken. Still, school districts throughout the Tristate found themselves responding to questions Monday about chicken nugget safety — whether or not they serve Gold Kist products.
In Kentucky, several large school districts reported they do not buy Gold Kist chicken. In Ohio, however, Gold Kist chicken goes to nearly every district in the state.
In fact, Ohio Department of Education's Division of Child Nutrition Services has received more than 4.4 million pounds of Gold Kist chicken since July 1 as part of a commodities program.
“We have over 1,000 school districts in Ohio participating in the commodities program. There are only a few districts that don't,” said Loreta Myles, director of child nutrition services.
Starting today, the Ohio Department of Agriculture will test samples of frozen chicken stored at warehouses in Dayton and Columbus at the request of the education department. But officials insisted the tests are purely precautionary.
“There is no reason to believe that the chicken nuggets or the chicken patties are unsafe,” Mrs. Myles said.
The Cox News Service re port focused on Gold Kist plants in Boaz and Guntersville, Ala. The report quotes inspectors who said chickens were allowed to pass even though carcasses had visible sores, bruises, tumors, scabs or pus.
“The articles do not call into question any food safety issues,” said Beth Gaston, spokeswoman for the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. “The product coming out of both plants is safe.”
“Parents, children and school administrators should continue to have full confidence in the quality and wholesomeness of chicken products processed by Gold Kist Inc.,” a company release states. “All statutory requirements continue to be met under the new inspection procedures.”
In Hamilton County, the Cincinnati, Northwest, Princeton and Sycamore school districts confirmed that they serve Gold Kist products.
At Northwest, Gold Kist chicken patties and nuggets have been served to the district's 10,500 students for several years, said Food Services Supervisor Sheryl Romans.
“I was very surprised to hear about all of this,” Ms. Romans said. “Gold Kist appeared to have very high quality products, but I doubt I'll ever eat their nuggets again.”
Sycamore Child Nutrition Services Manager Barbara Duncan said chicken nuggets are a very popular menu item among the district's 6,000 students.
“I'm getting a shipment of nuggets in tomorrow, but they aren't on the menu again until Feb. 25,” she said. “But as long as they are cooked to the proper internal temperature, they are safe to eat ... I'd eat them.”
In Butler County, chicken nuggets are on today's lunch menu at the Lakota Schools, but they won't be from Gold Kist.
Child Nutrition Services Director Treva Whitlock said she pulled the Gold Kist products as a precaution, even though the nuggets are popular with kids.
“It's their favorite meal. Our chil dren would eat it every day if I served it,” Ms. Whitlock said. “I want those Ohio food inspectors to walk in there and tell me it's OK.”
A survey of large Northern Kentucky school districts revealed many appear unaffected by the controversy.
Kenton County, Boone County, Campbell County, Newport, Erlanger-Elsmere and Ludlow schools do not serve Gold Kist nuggets.
“I read the story. I was grossed out,” said Ramona Manuel, food service director for Erlanger-Elsmere Schools, which enrolls about 2,300 students.
Beyond chicken, Ms. Manuel said she'd like to see improved federal inspections of hot dogs and all processed meats. Right now, she said, there's no way school districts can protect themselves from products such as those made by Gold Kist.
Fort Thomas, however, does serve Gold Kist chicken products. After getting a call from the USDA on Monday about the controversy, the district decided not to serve the nuggets until the same office gives its OK, said Ms. McGinley.
The extent of Gold Kist chicken products served in Tristate private schools was not clear.
Dan Andriacco, communications director for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, said he did not know if any of the its 134 Catholic schools serve Gold Kist products. Unlike public schools, Mr. Andriacco said Catholic schools do not share a central purchasing system.
Kelly Nickell, Susan Vela and Sue Kiesewetter and contributed to this report.
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