Photos of frozen food boxes sitting on the ground outside a Harrisburg elementary school and a tray of spotted hot dogs have gone viral on social media, prompting questions by parents.
The photos prompted the Harrisburg school district to send out an automated phone call to parents Thursday saying the district was investigating the matter.
A woman posted the photos to her Facebook page Thursday and said she had visited a friend at Ben Franklin Elementary school, at 1205 N. 6th Street, where she saw boxes of apparent frozen food piled up outside on the concrete, unattended. Stacks of new disposable cafeteria trays also were seen in the photos.
"This is unacceptable," the woman wrote. "How long was this food here?"
The boxes featured labels of "tater tots," and "pancakes" and directions: "Keep frozen."
The woman who posted the photos could not be reached by PennLive so it's unclear when the photos were taken, how long the boxes may have been outside and how she obtained photos in the kitchen of the tray of hot dogs.
Parents, however, have said there were no hotdogs served for lunch this week.
Her post has been shared nearly 800 times and drew more than 115 comments. Some parents said they may start packing their students' lunches. The district provides free breakfast, lunch and after-school food for all students because of the district's high-poverty rate.
Some people who commented on the photos, including School Board Member Brian Carter, said the hot dogs were being thrown away. They were never intended for students to eat.
But it's unclear why the old hot dogs were still being kept at the school. Also, questions remain about why the food boxes from an apparent fresh delivery were left on the ground unattended.
"It came to the attention of district officials that an alleged food service photo is circulating on social media. The District is working with food service staff to look into this matter," said a district statement posted to the district website. "Please know that all food service staff are trained in food safety and are dedicated to serving the best quality of food and providing the best customer service to our students. The safety and welfare of our students is the first and top priority of the Harrisburg School District."
Carter wrote on Facebook that the district hired a new company for food service this year and that the company had been notified as part of the investigation.
Among the answers the investigation should reveal is who signed for the delivery at the school. People who have worked in the school food industry say deliveries are normally brought directly into the kitchen, where the boxes are promptly carried into the coolers or freezers.
The school is under the purview of the City of Harrisburg's Health Department. The city's health officer visited Ben Franklin on Thursday, according to sources.
Under the state food code, refrigerated and frozen food are required to be kept at certain temperatures, even while they are being delivered. Deliveries also are required to be kept on wooden pallets or otherwise raised from the ground to avoid contamination.
"How long the food has been sitting on the loading dock is an issue that would be determined in investigating a complaint, since you cannot tell from the photo whether someone just went inside to retrieve a dolly to bring in the food," said Shannon Powers, a spokeswoman from the Department of Agriculture. "As far as the hot dogs, you also cannot tell from the photo whether the spots are freezer burn or something else. Freezer burn is a food quality issue rather than a food safety issue."
There is generally a four-hour window in which any food may be out of refrigeration, Powers said, but the time limit varies for the type of food and how it is packaged.
"The facility should test food for proper temperature," she said. "If it is not at the correct temperature, they should discard it. If food is not delivered at the correct temperature, they should reject the delivery. Again, there's no way of telling from the photo why this food is sitting there, how long it had been there, or even if it is food that was being discarded."
Powers said the city's health department should be able to provide more information. No one from the city was immediately available to comment.
School Board Member Carrie Fowler said she emailed the administration for answers Thursday but had not received any information.
A school district spokeswoman said the district business office is responsible for the food service department and that the business office would be responsible for providing a comment.
Chief Financial Officer James Snell did not respond to an email and neither did Acting Business Manager Bilal Hasan.
The state Secretary of Education previously asked the school board to replace Snell and Hasan because Snell can only work part-time and the district needs a full-time CFO; and Hasan doesn't have the proper experience or certifications to be a business manager. But the school board has not taken action.