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As schools consider reopening for the Fall semester, parents are concerned about whether or not things will be safe. This is especially true when it comes to school lunches. Overwhelmed parents are seeing it as just one more thing to add to their long list of concerns. “Because we needed even more to fill our 2 a.m. anxiety-fueled thoughts, right?” mom Amy Wright lamented to Mom.com. “But do some families have a choice? They don’t.”
It’s a well-taken point. While those who can will likely choose to send their children with their own homemade lunch where they can control what is eaten as well as limiting exposure, not every household is able to do so. Just because a family must rely on the school lunch program doesn’t mean they aren’t concerned about safety in these uncertain times. We dug into the details to see what schools are doing to keep kids safe when it comes to cafeteria meals.
What will school lunches look like during COVID?
The big question is what will school lunches look like? Certainly, it will look different than it did in the past where kids were able to slide trays and pick the items they wanted, often touching a lot of things along the way. Schools that participate in California’s Choicelunch program plan on offering virtual buffets to reduce exposure.
In a virtual buffet, kids can choose what they want to eat ahead of time. Then the kitchen staff will pre-bag the items as to limit contact, thus exposure. This allows kids to still have the choice of food and side options but will reduce potential contamination. Once pre-bagged, the bag is labeled with the student’s information to be delivered to his classroom at mealtime.
In addition to how the food is distributed, kids will likely be eating in their classrooms at their desks. The cafeteria is out of the question since it is too difficult to social distance groups of kids on cafeteria benches. The idea is to limit any single student’s exposure by keeping them with a consistent group of kids in the classroom, thus reducing the overall exposure within the school.
Is the food safe?
Wondering if the food will be safe is the same as asking whether or not your food delivery is safe. Most people have had food delivery during the pandemic and know that heated food will not transmit coronavirus. But that doesn’t eliminate all concerns when it comes to school lunches.
Guiseppe Aragona, M.D. had this to say about food safety in schools. “COVID-19 remains a part of society, and we should prepare for that to be a part of our immediate future. Studies have shown that there is minimal risk when it comes to youngsters, but this does not remove all risk, and as with everything there will be a certain amount involved — consider cutlery and plates that will be used and touched by staff,” Aragona told Mom.com.
Plus, not all the food will be heated. What about fruit or salad items that remain cold or room temperature? Likely you will see prepacked fruit cups and packages such as apple slices. By pre-packaging them, the child could disinfect the outside with a wipe before using it. Teachers will need to remind children to not touch their face while eating and to wash their hands thoroughly when they are done. It’s an extra step but necessary for precaution.
On that note, it’s suggested that parents pack disinfectant wipes in your child’s backpack and teach them how to wipe off tables, desks and other surfaces that they come in contact with, especially before eating.
Are safety measures enough?
Nothing is an absolute guarantee. With more people gathering at schools throughout the day, there is simply more exposure. Schools are adding a lot of new processes to help keep kids safe. This includes eating in the classroom and extra cleaning of tables and seats where kids will eat. The cafeteria will have higher standards set to reduce food contact and ultimate exposure to the virus.
“The kitchen at schools will have protocols to introduce high safety measures so the likelihood is that this will be as safe as possible,” Dr. Aragona continued. “The only way to guarantee no contamination though will be by providing homemade packed lunches for your child or children.”
Even by providing your own homemade lunch, remember that your children will be around other people, teachers, students, staff. It isn’t just the lunch that we need to be concerned with when sending our children back to school – we need to teach our children to be vigilant and pro-active when it comes to keeping themselves safe during the pandemic.
