The surprise was not to everyone’s taste on the plates of the canteens of Lagny-sur-Marne. With their pasta, the children discovered mealworms.
The canteen is not always easy. While product recalls are regular for consumers, school children are not always spared mishaps or food poisoning. After a drama that occurred with a Babybel, we learn this week an incident with pasta… And worms.
In Lagny-sur-Marne, the two schools in the city experienced a complicated meal on Monday January 30. At Paul Bert and Jean Macé, the meal included pasta and cordon bleu, but the latter were accompanied by mealworms. The director of the cabinet of the mayor Jean-Paul Michel, Pierre Tebaldini, explains to The Marne : “The children are well, ingestion of mealworms is harmless. But to take no risks, we brought in a doctor from the fire department”.
The doctor who was dispatched wanted to be reassuring. These worms that feed on cereals and are fond of flour do not present any health risks for children who have consumed it, unless there is an allergy. They can also be found in certain packages of products rich in starch such as pasta or rice.
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A bad surprise in the canteen with worms
But even without danger, and after passing through boiling water for cooking pasta, these worms caused the vomiting of a dozen children.
“The doctor saw them. According to him, some simply have gastro, for others, it’s more of a psychological effect. Two of the children who vomited did not even eat in the canteen and according to the doctor, it was too early for it to be their digestion that caused these disorders”, specifies Pierre Tebaldini.
Classes could be maintained until the end of the day on Monday.
Even if the reports were only made in two schools, the town hall preferred throw away some 1,000 meals prepared by its central kitchen. The other schools in the town received ready-made salads, generally reserved for strike days.
The Lagny-sur-Marne chief of staff said: “Around 12:30 p.m. the mayor tweeted to warn that the dishes would be changed. Around 3 p.m., once we were sure of our information and the doctor had come, we notified the parents, principals and headmistresses by text message”. He also states:We understand the concernif there has”.
Regarding the origin of the mealworms, the town hall explains that they were present in the packages of pasta in the central kitchen. “We found some in the empty packages. We buy the pasta from a major French brand in 5 kilo packets which are never stored open”, specifies Pierre Tebaldini.
The information will be transmitted to the supplier from the town hall: “We will also be more vigilant about the next arrivals. After information, these are things that have already happened even in the packages sold in supermarkets. We are going to step up surveillance”, concludes the director.
Editor for Aufeminin, Charlotte is passionate about French and international cinema, and a reader of good adventures. Curious about everything, she speaks as much about personalities as culture or…