FOI at Work: School cafeterias not meeting inspection requirements

School cafeterias are required to obtain two annual inspections or risk losing funding from the National School Lunch Program. But only 12 states are reporting 90 percent or more of their schools in compliance, according to the Agriculture Department.

Nearly two-thirds of schools in New York state are not receiving the twice-yearly health inspections required by federal law to curb food poisoning, making the state among the nation's worst offenders.

Compliance is even lower in Monroe County, where almost eight in 10 schools were not inspected twice in the 2006-07 school year, the most recent on record at the state Education Department. One in four were not inspected at all.

Meanwhile, inspection reports reviewed by the Democrat and Chronicle showed that one in five public school cafeterias in Monroe County failed to meet health standards in the last two years.

More here.