Maintaining a Healthy Lunchroom

Cafeteria professionals in Buncombe County Schools have been doubling down on sanitization efforts as concerns over coronavirus increase nationwide.

By: Benjamin Rickert, BCS Communications

Cafeteria professionals in Buncombe County Schools have been doubling down on sanitization efforts as concerns over coronavirus increase nationwide. As the largest food provider in Western North Carolina, BCS nutrition staff are well aware of their public health responsibility, and well-equipped to respond effectively.

“Fortunately, maintaining safe and clean spaces for cooking and eating is precisely what our management teams in every school are trained to do,” said Lisa Payne, BCS Director of School Nutrition. “We take our responsibility seriously and we know what to do because it’s what we do everyday.”

School cafeterias across the county maintain strict standards in the areas of surface, utensil, and kitchen sanitization, as well as food storage and serving temperatures. Every four to six months, schools are thoroughly inspected by Buncombe County’s Environmental Health Services, a division of the county’s Health and Human Services. Buncombe County's schools consistently score at or near the highest rating possible.

North Buncombe Middle School’s lunchroom was inspected two weeks ago and earned a perfect 100 score. The inspector checked refrigerator and food temperatures, the accuracy of all gauges, sanitizer effectiveness, equipment and surfaces, and more. What was found was encouraging.

“Everything was just perfect,” said Ms. Elaine Tweed, the school’s nutrition manager and a mother of two. “My staff and I do our best to treat these kids like we want our kids to be treated.”

As part of BCS’ coronavirus preparedness plan, staff have taken additional precautions. Throughout the day, staff have increased the frequency of sanitizing serving line and other lunchroom surfaces, and have introduced a new peroxide-based disinfectant that kills coronavirus. From the keypad where students enter their identification numbers to the handle on the milk cooler, Tweed said her team is diligent to identity and clean anything that visitors are touching.

School nutrition managers in all schools are also ServSafe certified, said Payne. The rigorous food safety certification is a standard of the restaurant industry and adds an additional level of education and professionalism to every lunchroom.

“We’re well-versed in keeping students germ-free,” added Payne, “And we’ll continue to monitor the coronavirus situation while communicating with the Buncombe County Health Department.”

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