New food-services director reports audit findings, farm-to-school events and menu compliance work

Beth Hackford, introduced by the board as the district’s director of food services, reported to the Laramie County School District #2 board on kitchen health inspections, a recent USDA audit and local farm-to-school activities at the Jan. 13 meeting.

Hackford told trustees she has worked with kitchen staff to reinforce HACCP (hazard analysis and critical control points) procedures and hygiene, and that all kitchens received health inspections with only minor deficiencies. She said kitchen managers have obtained required food-safety certifications. Hackford said the district’s audit period was November, on-site review took place Dec. 11–12, and the audit produced nine findings; she said staff have submitted corrective plans and expect to address most compliance issues within the USDA-provided correction window, targeting about March 1 for resolution.

Hackford described farm-to-school and local-food efforts: the district served about 425 walk-in tacos and about 304 servings of refried beans during Farm to School Day, and she estimated local-food contributions (beef, pork, beans, vegetables) totaled roughly 1,851 “crunches” (an internal measure she used to estimate servings). She also said community donations—cited in the meeting as approximately $75 in donated refried beans and donated potatoes from a fourth-grade ag program—helped support menus.

Hackford said the department served more than 500 meals at a Thanksgiving dinner event at Burns Elementary and that staff are working to resolve audit findings and refine menu-credit tracking so the district receives proper credit for vegetable and grain components under USDA rules. No board action was taken; trustees asked a few scheduling questions and accepted the report.