Lab results have been completed on smelly turkey nearly served last week to thousands of Lee County students, showing the meat was not contaminated. It just stunk.
Louisville-based Culinary Standards sent out samples to Silliker Laboratories in Columbus, Ohio, which tested for Listeria, Samonella, E-coli and aerobic plate count. Tests all came back negative, but when Culinary Standards executives heated the turkey and gravy meal, they, too, noticed the stench.
Company President Rick Kriech, in a letter faxed Tuesday to multiple school districts, said chicken broth used in the gravy is to blame.
“The manufacturer was contacted and he revealed that during the rendering process for the broth, if the product is cooked too hot, it will create this strong odor,” Kniech wrote. “They assured us that they do micro-testing on their broth and it is not a ‘food safety issue.’”
Lee County schools expected to serve 50,000 children, parents and teachers on Thursday, the district’s annual Thanksgiving feast. Just as cafeteria staff prepared to serve lunch, though, Lee’s food supplier advised schools not to serve turkey with four specific codes. That put on hold 193 of 600 cases of turkey and gravy, and sent cafeteria staff scrambling to find fish sticks, chicken nuggets and other entrees that could be heated on short notice.
Culinary Standards has ceased doing business with this particular supplier, Kniech said.
“Culinary Standards is sorry this incident has occurred and we are sorry for the trouble it has caused our customers,” Kniech wrote. “Culinary Standards believes that as a responsible company, it was necessary to take the actions that were taken to ensure the safety of the children and adults that would be consuming our products.”
According to the company’s menu, the meal in question featured “Tender slices of turkey cooked with just the right blend of spices and covered with gravy.” In Kniech’s letter, he curiously put the term “chicken broth” in quotes. That speaks volumes.
