NYC Schools Stop Serving Chicken After Student Finds Metal In Tender

NEW YORK CITY, NY — City schools have stopped serving food from a chicken supplier after a student reportedly found metal in chicken tenders.

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Students have repeatedly complained of non-edible add-ons showing up in chicken tenders from Somma Foods, according to reports. CBS New York first reported on Thursday that the city is no longer serving any products from the company.

In November, students found fragments of bone and of blue plastic in the tenders, and a cafeteria staffer reportedly choked on a bone while eating one of the tenders. The unwelcome stuffing prompted Somma to use an X-ray system to screen its food for non-edibles before shipping them out to schools, City Limits reported.

Then, in March, an NYC student found some metal pieces in Somma chicken tenders. The city pulled the tenders from school menus while it investigated the problem, education department representatives said at the time.

"The safety of students always comes first. Schools have been instructed to discard any remaining items and we will not be serving it again until all concerns have been addressed," the education department said in a statement in March.

"We are holding the manufacturer accountable and are investigating the cause of this incident."

Shortly after New York City schools dropped the tenders from the menu, Somma's "Chickentopia" tender — the same kind that was on the menu in city schools — were recalled by the U.S. Department of Agriculture "due to possible foreign matter contamination." The USDA released a list of retail locations that might have received the recalled food.

Now, all Somma products have been permanently removed from NYC school menus, a source said. Lunch menus posted on School Food NYC, the department that handles meals for the city's schools, show no chicken items on the menu for April.

"The safety and wellbeing of students and staff is our top priority and we are dedicated to providing schools with safe and nutritious meals," an education department spokeswoman told Patch in an email.

CBS New York reported that the relationship had been terminated after multiple concerns about the food served in city schools. CBS also documented reports of mold on pizza, although the manufacturer claimed it was simply discoloring.

Texas-based Somma began doing business with NYC schools in March 2016, according to a statement at the time. The food supplier touted its products as "the highest quality chicken that is 100% vegetable fed and never, ever given antibiotics."

Somma did not immediately respond to an email from Patch on Friday seeking more information.

Image courtesy of FotoosVanRobin via Wikimedia Commons.