ELIZABETHTON, Tennessee (WJHL) – What’s in a sandwich? Parents in Carter County are asking school officials this question after photos of a particularly colorful meal start circulating throughout the community.
According to online menus published by Carter County Schools Nutrition, the photos in question are of a “Turkey Club Sandwich” served at Happy Valley High School on October 26.
The photos, taken by a student and sent to parents who shared them with News Channel 11, circulated throughout the school.
“My food service manager looked into this,†said Dr. Tracy McAbee, director of Carter County schools. “From what she found, the product code was up to date, it was thawed correctly, and the heating procedures were correct.”
Dr McAbee said the sandwich was actually a turkey ham and cheese sandwich, which the USDA Ham Glossary defines as a “ready-to-eat product made from cured turkey thigh meat.” .
The meat, provided by USDA Commodities, is a smoked and salted turkey ham that costs an average of $ 2.50 a pound and is precooked for schools to reheat.
“The sandwich shown was not returned at time of service to be flagged or exchanged for another entry,†said Dr. McAbee. “The item shown does not appear to be similar to the typical sandwich meat we serve. While discussing this issue, several people from this school commented [the food service director] that their sandwiches were very good and up to what is served regularly. As for the exact cause of this sandwich having this coloring, I don’t have a definitive answer. Thousands of pounds of meat products are sent to schools in the Tri-Cities area. It’s kind of an anomaly. “
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) provides school lunches nationwide through the National School Lunch Program, and schools in Carter County provide free breakfast and lunch to all. students with food sent by the department.
