For many students, their most dependable meals throughout the day come from schools, many of which offer lunch, breakfast and even an after-school snack in some cases. But what are they expected to do when the food they get is covered in mold?

Students at Chicago’s West Town Academy had to ask themselves that very question when opened their food at breakfast to find that it was covered in mold and totally unsafe to eat.

“I opened the package and once I opened it I noticed the corner had mold on it,” student Janiah Dean told FOX 32.

Dean is an 18-year-old senior at the alternative high school on Chicago’s West Side.

“So my friend Hermione, she was in there warming up hers and once she opened it up hers had mold on the front of hers too,” Dean said. “So then we went to the cafeteria and they told us to get another one. So when I got another one, I opened it and the back had mold completely. So that’s when I called my momma.”

Dean’s mother had an understandably frustrating reaction to the news that her child was being given expired food that could’ve gotten her sick.

I asked her where was it delivered from? And she said CPS. I could hear the attendant in the back say CPS. I was like Chicago Public Schools? And what my biggest fear is this is a high schooler. I have a 9-year-old in third grade and it looks like blueberries. What if she eats it and she thinks it’s blueberries?” said Aquila Dean.

Apparently the food had expiration date set for May 20, more than a week before it was given to the West Town Academy students.

 

“Unfortunately, at West Town Academy today a student received (food) that did not meet our high quality standards,” said Aramak, the vendor CPS uses for it’s food services. “Out of an abundance of caution, we immediately removed the product line and are working to determine how this happened. The incident appears to be isolated and did not pose a health risk to students.”

Hopefully this was indeed an isolated incident and no other students were put at risk because they may have unknowingly eaten something that shouldn’t have been served. This serves as a reminder to make sure children know what to look for to make sure food is edible.

Photo Credit: Fox32 News screenshot