Could simply eating a hamburger lead to intense vomiting, nausea, stomach cramps, fever, severe diarrhea, and more? A recent outbreak of E. Coli bacteria in McDonald’s burgers has led to increased awareness about the dangers of unsafe food handling.
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that E.Coli is in the top five foodborne illnesses that can cause severe illness. The CDC warns that illnesses can come from anything from raw vegetables to frozen waffles. The recent McDonalds outbreak is prompting all food vendors to take proper precautions when handling food that could cause sickness.
To prevent outbreaks of food illness from affecting students and their health, Frisco Independent School District takes all necessary measures to make sure school food is safe, including hiring certified food handlers and prioritizing safety.
The district Child Nutrition website says “All cafe staff have successfully completed state and nationally-approved certification classes in nutrition education, culinary education, administration, communication, operations, marketing, training and food safety.”
Wakeland cafe staff follow a strict set of guidelines for safety and students in cooking classes are taught all the proper steps to keeping their food danger-free, leaving Wakeland students to trust the school is keep them safe from food illnesses like E. Coli.
“I haven’t heard of anyone getting sick,” said Ella Blodgett, a freshman. “Maybe with this outbreak they’ll take even more precautions.” said Ella, who did not see any reason for concern. FISD also offers alternative menus for students with food allergies, intolerances or medical disabilities, according to their Child Nutrition homepage.
However, not all students share Blodgett’s assurance. Freshman Pressly Murphy, who eats school lunch daily due to her busy band schedule, expresses some concerns.
“Because even though it’s good for you, like they serve us carrots and juice and apples, at the same time they also serve us not the best food and sometimes it’s not cooked the best way,” she said.
Despite student concerns, FISD maintains strict food safety regulations. A photo displayed in the cafeteria outlines these measures as it’s required to have safe food handling practices.
Kitchen staff members play a crucial role in implementing these safety protocols. “I have been working at Wakeland since August, 2024, about three months,” said kitchen manager, Julissa Guerrero. “We use PPE (personal protective equipment) that protects employees, so they wear gloves, and have gloves that protect them, when they use the oven, and goggles.”
Wakeland High School’s lunch safety requirements are the same as those in popular fast food chains. Wakeland student Lylah Occhipinti describes her experience as an employee at In-N-Out.
“In-N-Out and other restaurants acknowledge that things like the E-coli outbreak can happen, but to prevent this we do multiple things such as preparing the meats in advance to insure that they are fresh and not contaminated,” she said. “The restaurant also requires the workers to wash their hands, wear safety equipment (gloves, hairnet, ect), and get the training needed to serve food.”
“My students have to take a test before they can even touch the food,” said Janna Whitehead, teacher of Culinary and Food Science. “We wear hairnets, learn knife safety, and foodborne illness safety.”
As Wakeland advances in food safety, they remind students to always stay safe. “There’s just so much from washing your hands, the list goes on and on,” said Whitehead.
