Buffalo Public Schools responds to complaints on its free lunch program

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Leaders from Buffalo Public Schools are responding following complaints from many parents criticizing the quality of school lunches.

Last month, WIVB News 4 reported on a complaint from a local parent about slimy, unrecognizable food being served to Buffalo Public School students.

Those initial complaints resulted in hundreds of comments on social media pages with teachers and parents reaching out to WIVB News 4 with similar concerns. On Friday, WIVB News 4 had a chance to check out food served at P.S. 366.

Ruth Conner, the director of the BPS food service department, said the district serves nearly 30,000 students on a daily basis across 88 schools, including most charter schools in Buffalo. Conner says with this many mouths to feed, there are bound to be some issues with the food, just like going to the grocery store and discovering something that’s not appetizing.

“It could’ve been from the bread company, it could’ve been from the produce that was delivered, I remember last year there could be bugs in produce just getting it at the grocery store right, that’s just all information that I need to get immediately, bring it to my attention, I’ll fix it,” Conner said, “Will there be a picture that posts negatively, I can guarantee you, but I can also guarantee you that I will correct it, I’m very transparent, people can reach out to me anytime.”

Conner also mentions how important it is to be resourceful.

“I try and make sure people are utilizing product efficiently because of financial reasons the reimbursement rate for school lunch is not necessarily what you go and pay for in a restaurant we get ‘x’ amount of dollars and we have to make sure it’s utilized,” she said.

Conner says she fields questions and comments through Facebook. You can also email her at: [email protected]

Some students at P.S. 366 like what’s on the menu.

“I can tell from a lot of the students, like it’s good, often times kids come to school really early just to get the breakfast program, so like for me and I know for a lot my friends that go to the school to quality the variety is good,” student Murphy Suah said.

Conner noted that Buffalo Schools serve food that meets the nutritional requirements under the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act, which went into effect under former President Barack Obama.

“All kids deserve the best quality food that we can give them which is a consistent message that I relay to our team and the team relay’s to our 460 that work for the district,” Conner said.

BPS has plans to create a new commissary — essentially a new central kitchen — that would allow more scratch-cooking, improve the farm to school program and improve shipping and receiving. A public hearing on the project will be held Nov. 14 at the Delavan Grider Community Center.

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Jeff Preval is an award-winning anchor and reporter who joined the News 4 team in December 2021. See more of his work here.

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