LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Prairie Farms said Friday a combination of "extreme temperatures, extended delivery times, and storage challenges" led to milk being pulled from Louisville schools this week.
Jefferson County Public Schools pulled all "fresh" milk from cafeterias this week after what the district called a "quality issue." But some students and parents said expired food has been served before, and they question whether JCPS is being fully transparent.
The next day, one student said they were served a cinnamon pastry two months past its best-by date.
JCPS acknowledged staff tossed one case of expired shelf-stable milk at Jeffersontown last week.
JCPS sent a letter to families Wednesday saying, "This morning, during our daily quality checks, we identified a quality issue with the fresh milk supply. We want to assure you that this issue was discovered before any of the impacted milk was served, and no students have consumed it."
But later, the district backtracked and wrote, "Some JCPS students at a few schools complained that their milk 'tasted funny' during breakfast this morning."
"To ensure the safety and well-being of all of our students, which is our top priority, all fresh milk has been taken out of our school cafeterias effective immediately," JCPS said in its letter to families. "The affected milk has been removed, and our milk vendor will be picking it up for replacement."
In a statement Friday, Prairie Farms said it worked with JCPS to immediately remove the milk and replace it with fresh product.
"Delivery procedures have been reinforced to minimize heat-related risks, and temperature monitoring protocols have been strengthened," the company said.
JCPS said some students may have drank the milk — "cartons that look like little houses" — during breakfast and the earliest lunch periods Wednesday. Most students in the district, however, received shelf-stable milk after the milk in question was pulled.
"We are not aware of the milk at these few schools containing any contaminants. We believe this is simply a quality and taste issue," JCPS told families. "... if your student complains about being sick, we will follow our usual protocols and have them report to the school nurse’s office to be checked out," JCPS told families.
The district would not name the schools affected but confirmed five elementary schools received the milk. Officials said they are not aware of any other expired food being served this school year.
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