Ed Bruske, school food blogger and former WashPo reporter, continues to put pressure on his D.C. school district over the issue of rebates and volume discounts, originally discussed here on The Lunch Tray. To recap, food service management companies (FSMC’s) are required by law to pass on any rebates and discounts they receive from large food manufacturers like Kellogg’s and Pepperidge Farm, but the entire issue is shrouded in secrecy, and at least one FSMC has been fined $21 million for failing to comply with the law.
Bruske recently filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to get more information on whether or not that district’s FSMC – Chartwells – is passing on its rebates. He reported this week that his FOIA request was denied by attorneys for DC public schools, who claimed that “that details about the rebates constitute ‘trade secrets’ and that exposing them to public scrutiny would hurt the ‘competitive position’ of Chartwells, the school system’s contracted food service provider.”
The DC school district’s position directly pits Chartwell’s business interests against the rights of DC parents to know if (a) their school district is being unlawfully denied funds to which it is entitled and (b) if huge food manufacturers are wielding undue influence over the FSMC, resulting in that much more processed, sugary foods on school lunch trays.
Since Bruske’s records request was denied, the only hope is that city officials will dig into the rebate issue behind the scenes. As mentioned here previously, Bruske’s reportage on this issue has resulted in two DC city council members seeking an investigation from that city’s attorney general.
Sometimes I wish Bruske would rename his blog (Better DC School Food), as it’s one of my go-to sources for breaking information about school food issues nationwide — not just in D.C. For any parents particularly interested in school lunch reform, you’ll want to put Bruske’s blog on your internet reading list.