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Are NYC School Kitchen Managers Being Bullied For Using Butter?
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published May 10, 2013
Modified May 10, 2013
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By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published May 10, 2013
Modified May 10, 2013
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The Department of Education's upped the ante on its fight against childhood obesity of late, knocking out school lunch staples like white bread vending machines and replacing them with whole grains and even vegetarian fare. But the DOE's also been nixing butter from school lunch menus, too, and according to the Daily News, school kitchen managers are being "bullied" for serving and/or cooking with Paula Deen's favorite food.
Apparently, butter was "banned" from school cafeterias back in 2008, or, at least according to the DOE, the ingredient's been removed from school recipes. But not every school kitchen got the memo, and after a Brooklyn regional school food manager discovered his employees were still ordering butter, he sent an email threatening to serve kitchen managers with a disciplinary letter if the condiment continued to cross their thresholds. "[I[f there is a repetition of this incident or similar incident, further disciplinary action will be taken against you which might lead to the termination of your employment with the Office of School Food," he wrote to one kitchen manager; he also sent managers an "Excess Butter Ordering Report" listing butter orders racking up to nearly $150-a-kitchen.
The union representing kitchen managers has already spoken out against the alleged bullying: "We understand the need for healthy meals, but we do not appreciate the administration bullying our members without giving them instructions on how to prepare meals,"" Local 237 Teamsters president Greg Floyd told the Daily News. And the DOE says that while butter's not officially banned, they have asked kitchens to substitute it with low-fat cooking oil, and peanut butter and jelly or (marginally healthier) cream cheese as a spread. More importantly, though, the Great Butter Scandal of 2013 has already made its way to the Ron Paul forums, so you can be sure Land O' Lakes liberty is on its way.
Tagged
brooklyn
butter
cafeterias
obesity
Rebecca Fishbein
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