NHCS responds after student claims worm found in school lunch

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — A New Hanover High School student claims she found a worm inside a meal served at school.

Alleah Murray sat down to eat a chicken patty prepared at the school, only to be surprised by what she saw inside.

“I noticed a dark part in the chicken and I pulled it out,” Alleah said. “I was grossed out that I found an insect in the food.”

Murray’s mother Jennifer isn’t happy this happened to her.

“Some kids don’t have an option to go home and eat a good meal, you know,” Jennifer said. “And if that is the only food they’re getting is food that they might or might not bite into a worm, I mean, that’s not okay. So, I mean, anger, disgusted and happy she actually didn’t bite into it.”

A spokesperson for New Hanover County Schools sent a statement to WWAY that reads:

“We are aware of recent social media posts alleging that a worm was found in a chicken meal served to a student at New Hanover High School. We take such matters very seriously and want to address these claims with accurate information.

Our Child Nutrition team is committed to providing students with high-quality, nutritious meals. We serve whole muscle chicken, not pressed chicken patties, as part of our commitment to high standards of food quality. Our Child Nutrition staff take great pride in carefully preparing all meals and ensuring they meet rigorous health and safety standards.

The student and parent who made these claims did not initially report their concerns directly to the school or cafeteria staff so staff were unable to investigate directly, but from the photos it appears to be a naturally occurring part of whole muscle chicken. Unfortunately the issue was raised on social media, which has led to unwarranted concern and rumors.

On Tuesday the Health Department conducted a thorough inspection of NHHS food preparation and serving processes and they found no evidence to support the claims made. The investigation confirmed that our food safety practices are in line with industry standards and that the quality of our meals is uncompromised.

We encourage all parents and students to communicate directly with Child Nutrition or school staff if they have any concerns or questions about the meals served. Our goal is always to provide a safe and healthy dining experience for all students, and we value open dialogue to address any issues that may come up.

Thank you for your understanding and continued support.”

Despite that, Jennifer Murray said this incident will continue to impact her daughter and her wallet.

“Its gonna impact a lot of things, not just how she thinks about different foods and where she’s eating or who she’s eating from,” Jennifer said. “But now, I have two kids at Hanover. They both want to take lunches now, you know. So its like, okay, there’s another extra bill I’m gonna have to pay for lunches and stuff like that.”

In an email sent to WWAY, school board member Pat Bradford said:

“I have no firsthand knowledge of it, only the district’s statement.

The NHCS nutritional staff I have met have been extremely conscientious.

In the past, I have spent a good amount of time in commercial kitchens, and even successfully passed the SerSafe course several years ago.

I’ve cut up quite a few whole chickens and there are vessels that I suppose could be mistaken for a worm, if one had no working knowledge of fresh raw chicken.

I visited with staff at an elementary school cafeteria kitchen one morning last month.

Another board member and I helped serve on a lunch cafeteria line in an elementary school last year.

I have only observed the highest standards being kept by our nutritional teams.”