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District to expand gluten-free lunch options; 34 students flagged in records
Summary
District staff said additional gluten-free options will be offered and handled to avoid cross-contact; 34 students are listed in district records as having gluten sensitivity or allergy.
District staff said the East Meadow Union Free School District will expand gluten-free meal options and change preparation and serving procedures to reduce cross-contact for students with gluten sensitivity or allergy.
"We're going to have individual gluten-free pizzas that will be cooked in a separate tin that will run through the impinger oven and there'll be no cross contact," district staff member Jen Fusenda told the board. She added that gluten-free chicken nuggets will be served on separate warming tins and that prepackaged items such as certain cereals, juices, prepackaged fruits, vegetables and chips are gluten-free.
Fusenda said the district's food-service partner, identified in the meeting as Whitsons, will contact families who have a gluten allergy on file. "There are 34 students that have a gluten sensitivity or allergy that is listed in the district's database," she said. For elementary students, ordering will be handled in the classroom; secondary students will receive ordering information by email.
Trustees asked whether meals will be prepped in a safe area; Fusenda said the separate tin and preordering process intend to prevent cross-contact. Board members asked administration to conduct outreach so families who have not filed allergies with the district will add the information to their student's record.
No policy change or formal vote was recorded at the meeting; staff said they will proceed with these operational changes and family notifications.
