The Hermiston School District is removing all cumin-containing ingredients from menus for peanut-allergic students following a consumer alert issued by the Food and Drug Administration.
Last week, the FDA issued a consumer alert to people who are highly allergic or sensitive to peanuts, advising them to avoid products potentially containing ground cumin or cumin powder. The FDA action results from some shipments of these products testing positive for undeclared peanut protein. While there have been some product recalls issued, the regulatory agency investigation and trace-forward activities are still underway.
As a precaution, the HSD food contractor, Chartwells School Dining Services, is taking necessary precautions to ensure students with peanut allergies are not exposed to potential allergens.
According to Betsy Heath, HSD Director of Dining Services, “because it is not possible to determine which products containing cumin have been contaminated, we are removing all cumin-containing recipes and ingredients from menus for peanut-allergic students.”
As a result, school menus for Thursday, Feb. 26 and Friday, Feb. 27 were adjusted to assure compliance with the FDA alert. Future menu adjustments may also be required until the distribution chain is cleared.
“For any meals prepared for students with documented peanut allergies, we are ensuring all recipes and products served to these students do not contain cumin ingredients,” said Heath.
