CBS2 Gets Results: City Drops Vendors Who Supplied Tainted School Food
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- There was more fallout Thursday, over dangerous food served at city schools.
The chancellor said the city will stop doing business with vendors who supplied tainted food.
Previously, CBS2 had shown viewers stomach turning pictures of disgusting pizza, moldy egg and cheese breakfast sandwiches, chicken with metal pieces, and bones -- one so big that the person who ate it choked and needed the Heimlich maneuver.
As CBS2 Political Reporter Marcia Kramer explained, those items are now verboten on school grounds, and the Department of Education has cancelled orders for other items from the same vendors.
CBS2's Kramer asked the chancellor if she was happy with the length of time it took to get the tainted food off the menu.
"When it comes to safety, I'm never happy with whatever time it takes, but we are working on it in an urgent way," Carmen Farina said.
The egg and cheese sandwiches are gone, sliced, French bread, and bagel pizza from another vendor were banished as well.
The city is no longer buying anything from Somma Foods, the company that supplied the chicken. Chicken tenders, drumsticks, and yogurt parfait have been stricken from the menu.
Citing incidents that occurred between September and March, CBS2's Kramer demanded answers -- wanting to know what took so long to get the foods removed.
"If something is found it is investigated, and reported, and it is acted upon," Eric Goldstein said. "We have processes in place that we follow, and we have taken the appropriate action."
Education officials' quality concerns were not the issue with the yogurt parfait.
Two experts wondered if price became an issue. Sources told CBS2 it cost the city $1.11 per serving for fancy yogurt parfait, but just 76-cents a serving for the replacement with the same contents.
That's an extra $70,000 for every 200,000 servings -- about a month's worth.
Goldstein said it would be possible for the city to change vendors based on price.
A spokesman for Somma Foods said the company is disappointed that it lost the city's business, but understands why.
