School food vendor apologies for serving chicken, waffles and watermelon on first day of Black History Month

A global food vendor has apologized after serving middle school students in New York chicken and waffles with a watermelon dessert on the first day of Black History Month.

Aramark, a food vendor that serves schools and other institutions around the world, issued a statement Thursday acknowledging the “mistake” in a letter to parents, Lohud reported.

“While our menu was not intended as a cultural meal, we acknowledge that the timing was inappropriate, and our team should have been more thoughtful in its service,” the food company stated. “This was a mistake and does not represent the values of our company, and we are committed to doing better in the future.”

David Johnson, principal at Nyack Middle School which is about 30 miles north of Manhattan, said in the letter that Aramark changed the scheduled menu without running it by school administrators, as reported by Lohud.

“We are extremely disappointed by this regrettable situation and apologize to the entire Nyack community for the cultural insensitivity displayed by our food service provider,” Johnson said. “I am disappointed that Aramark would serve items that differed from the published monthly menu. Especially items that reinforce negative stereotypes concerning the African-American Community.”

According to Lohud, Aramark has previously served foods connected to racial stereotypes about Black people during African American holidays.

Students at the University of California, Irvine in 2011 were served a menu for Martin Luther King Day that read: “MLK Holiday Special: Chicken and Waffles,” per the outlet.

The company more recently served New York University students in 2018 ribs, collard greens and Kool-Aid during Black History Month, the outlet reported.

James Montesano, interim superintendent for Nyack schools, said in the letter he is “extremely disappointed with what has occurred,” but Aramark has been cooperative in addressing the situation, according to Lohud.

“We are encouraged to receive the appropriate response from Aramark in taking corrective action, which includes demonstrating their willingness to participate in training that the district will provide,” he said.

Aramark said in its statement it will be working in partnership with Nyack schools going forward “so employees who work in the schools participate in training that aligns to the Nyack School District’s vision and commitment to equity-driven work. We believe this will provide a good learning opportunity to deepen understanding on the impact of systemic biases and negative stereotypes concerning the African-American Community.”

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