Aramark, a food-service vendor, is currently under fire after serving a stereotypical meal to students for Black History Month, according to PEOPLE. The incident occurred on Feb. 1 when middle schoolers from Nyack Middle school in Nyack, New York were served chicken and waffles with watermelon for lunch. The school claims that the food-service vendor switched the meal that was initially supposed to be served. The school says the change came without proper notice from the vendor.
Principal David Johnson penned in a letter,
“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. 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.”
The food-service vendor detailed the encounter as a
“mistake”
and issued an apology, which said,
“While our menu was not intended as a cultural meal, we acknowledge that the timing was inappropriate, and our the team should have been more thoughtful in its service.”
The vendor continued,
“This was a mistake and does not represent the values of our company, and we are committed to doing better in the future.”
The statement added that Aramark will team up with the school district
“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.”
However, this isn’t the first time Aramark has served meals to students that reinforce stereotypes. Back in 2018, Aramark served NYU students a Black History Month Menu that included ribs, mac and cheese, red Kool-Aid, yams, collard greens, and cornbread. This sparked anger in students causing the college to stop using the company as their food vendor.
#Clique, what are your thoughts?
