Whangārei burnt school lunches received with their packaging already leaving and burned.
Photo: RNZ / ELLEN O’DWYER
The food security authority found a school lunch that burned a student was provided by third parties in packaging that were not intended for commercial reheating.
An investigation was launched by the New Zealand Food Safety and the Ministry of Education, after an intermediate school student Ilminster from Gisborne was burned by a school lunch provided by Compass, the company hired to lead the government’s low -cost school lunch program earlier this month.
Deputy Director-General Food Security Vincent Arbuckle said the agency found that the accident could have been avoided if Compass had followed appropriate processes.
Lunch was provided by third parties, Heinz Watties, and although it is perfectly safe for reheating in a microwave or domestic oven, school lunch providers used commercial scale reeators.
“This packaging of third party products was not specifically designed for the used commercial reheating process and the absence of reheating instructions resulted in overheated meals and the packaging compromises,” Arbuckle said.
He said the compass acquired and launched Heinz Watties’ meals without assessing the risks and adequacy of meals for the healthy school lunch program.
“We demand that the compass, the main provider of the school lunch collective, ensures that complete risk assessment and supervision evaluation procedures are performed before using third party suppliers in the future.”
Arbuckle said Compass would be supervised to ensure that the changes were made and that the accident was not repeated.
“Compass was a cooperative with our investigation and we will monitor that the necessary corrective actions are taken in the interest of students. We advise the Ministry of Education of our discoveries and requirements for Compass.
“We continue a series of visits to the hired providers and schools while analyzing the heating processes between the facilities, as requested by [Ministry of Education]. “
Ilminster School director Jonathan Poole said his disappointing compass did not verify the risks of using a prefabricated meal.
“This should never have happened, this incident. This poor child should never have been burned.”
“But I think it highlights this biggest problem around the supply, and this was one of the concerns at the beginning of the piece around school lunch, and send them from outside the region and not have a regional approach.”
He said pre-watershed meals should not have been used in retrospective, and he is concerned that the company does not have a better backup plan for supply falling short.
“I prefer not to see these packed meals come back, to be honest.”
“I also have some concerns about what happens if they fall short again? Is that what we’ll see again? It seems great for them to monitor the pieces, but obviously there are some larger twisters in the machine that need to be resolved around the region supply.”
He said that the student who was burned by the poured chalet lunch is back to school and recovered, but is still disappointed that he could not participate in activities such as swimming classes.
“He is still healing – but he will have some lasting scars to remind him of that day, and it will be a day that he will probably not forget for a while.
“We are grateful for having free lunch for our children, but I think looking at the pieces, what happened to the young man and the burning in the leg, the inconsistencies around the menu, the waste – I talked to a student the other day and she said she brings her own salt to add flavor to lunch.
“It’s not just reaching the brand.”
A statement published on the School Lunch Collective website said the organization recognized the findings and that Heinz Watties’ meals were acquired to compensate for insufficient meals.
“The school lunch collective is working constructively with the ministry for primary industries and accepts the findings – in relation to menu items that were used due to manufacturing deficits.
“We implemented additional procedures in the selection, processing and handling of food. We congratulate MPI in regulating our processes, where we are proud. Our kitchens are verified and audited regularly by an independent MPI verification organ, and follow the act of food control plans and related regulations.”
At the time of the accident, the director of Compass NZ and the school port of the school lunch collective, Paul Harvey, said it was “deeply unfortunate.”
SUBSCRIBE IN NGā Pytopito Kōrero, A daily bulletin curated by our editors and delivers directly to your inbox every day of the week.
