Audit Report on the Monitoring of the School Food Safety Program by the Department of Education

The audit determined whether the Department of Education (DOE) adequately monitors the food safety practices at schools. Specifically, the audit determined whether DOE conducts periodic inspections of the food safety practices and procedures of all schools, ensures that its employees receive the required training, ensures that during the preparation and serving of food to the students there is at least one employee on-site who has a Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) Food Protection Certificate, and ensures that the schools’ kitchen facilities, cafeteria, and food storage areas are clean and well maintained and that kitchen personnel adhere to DOE’s policies and procedures. The focus of this audit was food safety in DOE-operated public schools (charter schools and non-public schools were outside the scope of our audit).

DOE provides primary and secondary education to over one million pre-kindergarten to grade 12 students in more than 1,500 schools of 32 school districts in five Regions. DOE’s Office of School Food and Nutrition (School Food) provides breakfast and lunch to New York City public school children. Maintaining food safety is a critical component of School Food’s mission to serve healthy, safe food to New York City students.

School Food developed and implemented a Food Safety Program in 1999 using the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) principles to identify areas where School Food staff and procedures have a direct impact. All School Food employees receive initial and ongoing training in HACCP and food safety principles, and at least one employee from the kitchen staff at each school is required to attend a 15-hour course in basic sanitation and food handling procedures. As part of DOE’s Food Safety Program, all schools undergo periodic reviews to monitor their food safety practices, procedures, and kitchen conditions.

Audits Findings and Conclusions

Overall, with some exceptions, DOE’s monitoring of the food safety practices at schools is adequate. DOE generally conducts periodic inspections of the food safety practices and procedures of all schools, and requires at least one employee who has a DOHMH Food Protection Certificate to be on-site during the preparation and serving of food to the students. With the exception of one school which did not receive a Quality Assurance Specialist (QAS) inspection, all applicable schools received the required HACCP and QAS inspections. Additionally, our unannounced inspections of the sampled schools revealed that 1) at least one employee having a DOHMH Food Protection Certificate was on-site and, in general, 2) the schools’ kitchen facilities, cafeteria, and food storage areas were, with some minor exceptions, clean and well maintained, and 3) the kitchen personnel appeared to have been adhering to DOE’s policies and procedures pertaining to proper food handling techniques and uniforms.

However, we identified a number of weaknesses that need correction. DOE does not ensure that all of its School Food kitchen employees receive the required training in a timely manner. In addition, we found sanitation-related deficiencies (e.g., leak and drain problems) at five of the 15 sampled schools we visited. We also found lacking or obstructed choking first aid posters and instances of employees’ non-adherence to DOE’s uniform policy. Further, we found that a majority of the sampled schools lacked copies of the inspection documentation, bringing into question whether the kitchen personnel were aware of inspection results. Moreover, we identified copies of DOHMH Food Protection Certificates posted in the schools rather than originals as required by DOHMH.

Audit Recommendations

Based on our findings, we make 11 recommendations, including that DOE should:

• Ensure that kitchen personnel receive the mandatory training within 20 working days of being hired, as required by DOE Policy.
• Ensure that all facility conditions needing correction are immediately reported to the school custodian so that repairs can be made in a timely manner.
• Ensure that choking first aid posters are present and entirely visible in all of its school cafeterias.
• Reinforce its Uniform Policy and ensure that kitchen personnel properly cover their hair, including facial hair, and only wear approved jewelry items.
• Ensure that all schools receive the required annual DOE oversight inspections and develop an adequate tracking method to ensure that all required inspections are performed.
• Ensure that kitchen employees carry their original DOHMH Food Protection Certificates at all times and that any posted certificate is not a copy.

Agency Response

DOE officials generally agreed with the audit’s findings and recommendations and stated, “The Department will take the necessary actions to improve on these areas mentioned in the audit.”