Dearborn Public Schools accidentally serves non-halal pepperoni to students during Ramadan
Dearborn Public Schools says some students at O.L. Smith Middle School were accidentally served non-halal pepperoni pizza during the month of Ramadan.
Ramadan is considered a holy month by those of the Muslim faith, a time of spiritual significance. It was observed from February 18 to March 18 this year.
In a letter to parents on April 30, interim Dearborn Public Schools superintendent Lamis Srour said 206 servings of pizza containing non-halal pepperoni made with beef and pork were served to students between Feb. 23 and March 5. That accounts for 7% of the total meals served during that timeframe.
Halal food, according to the American Halal Foundation, refers to food that is considered permissible for Muslims to eat. Halal meat requires specific preparation steps; in addition, pork is a forbidden meat under Halal guidelines. In many cases, food that is prepared according to halal requirements will be marked as such on the package.
"Although our investigation found no malicious intent on behalf of those involved, human error does not excuse the seriousness of this incident," Srour wrote in a letter. "As much as we wish we could, we cannot change what has occurred. I humbly offer you my most sincere apologies and a promise to ensure this does not occur in the future."
She also offered to meet with Smith Middle School parents on the matter.
The interim superintendent said the steps taken include an audit to confirm that it was the only item that did not meet halal menu specifications. The pepperoni was accidentally ordered from a regular food provider, and steps are now in place to reduce the risk of selecting "non-compliant items" for those menus.
The district has also added a second Halal Certified food provider to its vendor list, the letter said.
Dearborn Public Schools is Michigan's third-largest public school district, with about 20,000 students from preschool through high school. Free lunch and breakfast are offered to all K-12 in-person students.
In 2003, Dearborn Public Schools became one of the first school districts in the U.S. to offer halal food options to students. In the years since, the district has expanded the offerings and trained staff on handling procedures for the designated ingredients. Options listed on recent school menus include a halal chicken patty sandwich, halal pepperoni pizza and a halal hot dog.
