Traverse City school lunch supervisors are taking specific protocols because of the peanut butter recalls.
TRAVERSE CITY -- You won't find peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on the lunch menu at Traverse City Central Senior High. That's because the recall of certain peanut butter items has food supervisors taking action.
"As far as the items that have been recalled we had very few items in our possession, just a few of the Keebler brand peanut butter crackers snack packages which we've since thrown away and destroyed," says TCAPS food service director Kristen Misiak.
Misiak says when food is recalled, TCAPS follows specific protocols. First, they contact their food distributor.
"To see if the product is being recalled nationally or something they particular sold to us and if they are we further investigate the websites for the food manufacturer as well as the Federal Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control," says Misiak.
With any food recall, Misiak says sometimes the food is pulled from students lunch menus and stored until further notice, just like peanut butter granola bars.
"Just to be on the safe side, we have decided to hold all of our food items that have peanut butter as an ingredient just because the CDC has recommended that people not eat those at this time, even though they are not being recalled," says Misiak.
Part of this holding list includes a new recommendation from the state. School officials are now asked to hold off serving any food that uses peanut butter spread distributed for cafeteria use.
"After all the recall information is out and everything is finished and we can be 100% assured these items we're serving are not part of that recall then we would put them back on our shelves for the students, but until then we will hold them back," says Misiak.
Misiak says when TCAPS finds out a food item is on the FDA's recall list they will dispose of it immediately, instead of storing it until the recall is over.
