Arab City Schools Celebrate
"Pride In Food Service Week"

Lorona Mahathey, of the Arab Primary School, serves one of the 1,900 lunches prepared each day in the Arab City School System cafeterias.  The system recently celebrated "National Pride in Food Service Week".    Photo by Dwight Hayes

February 25, 2008
Staff members of the Arab City Schools Child Nutrition Program were recently recognized for their exceptional service during the "National Pride in Food Service Week".   Melanie Plunkett, who serves as a co-supervisor of the school system's CNP program, praised the hard work and dedication of the twenty-eight employees who staff the system's four cafeterias.  Plunkett administers a portion of the program while Cyndi Rees of the Central Office handles the rest, particularly the free and reduced price lunch applications, bid lists and commodities.  Brad Kitchens takes care of the equipment and infrastructure needed to keep the program functioning.

Overall, the four cafeterias serve an average of 1,900 meals per day, according to Plunkett. Each school CNP manager is  responsible for menu planning, preparation and serving of the meals as well as assurance of safe food handling practices and appropriate record keeping as required by the Marshall County and Alabama Health Departments.

All meals served by the respective schools must meet certain nutritional requirements.  Each lunch must contain:  milk(as a beverage), a meat or meat alternate, vegetables and/or fruits, grains or breads.  The serving amounts vary depending upon the age group.  Breakfast meals must contain:  milk, juice,  a fruit/vegetable plus grains/breads, or one breads/grains and one meat or meat alternate or two meat/meat alternate.  The Arab Junior High and Arab High School offer three different selections each day.  Students may choose from a Meat and vegetable/fruit combo, a sandwich and vegetable/fruit combo or a pre-plated salad combo.  Students at the Arab Primary School and Arab Elementary are served a meat, vegetable and fruit combo.  Desserts or high sugar content foods are offered only once per month although students do have access to a snack bar.

According to Plunkett, all menus must meet the required nutritional goals when averaged over a school week.  Menus are analyzed by the state Child Nutrition Program administered out of Montgomery.  State nutrition auditors periodically check production records to assure the proper variety and proportions.

All recipes and procedures regarding safety and handling are reviewed for compliance with the Hazards Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan.  HACCP is a systematic, preventive approach to food safety and is designed to address physical, chemical and biological hazards and the means of prevention of these hazards during preparation.  The plan is used in the food industry to identify potential food safety hazards, so that key actions, known as Critical Control Points (CCP's) can be taken to reduce or eliminate the risk of the hazards occurring.

Each cafeteria is subject to inspection by the Marshall County Health Department four times per year.  School CNP managers take pride in the traditional high scores received during these inspections.

CNP managers are required to complete and receive certification in ServSafe training.  Certified individuals are required to re-certify every five years.  At least one ServSafe certified staff person must be in the cafeteria at all times.  In addition to the ServSafe training, all CNP workers are required to attend yearly workshops regarding safe food handling and preparation.

The individual school CNP managers are:  Arab High School - Kenitha Huffstutler, Arab Junior High School - Norma Burgett, Arab Elementary School - Christy Edwards and Arab Primary School - Rhonda Alldredge.

Plunkett said, "All of our CNP staff take great pride in the quality of meals and the safety with which they are prepared and we are happy to recognize their contribution to the education of our children."

All of the food service staff for individual schools are pictured below.

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