A Nebraska school cook is in hot water after he served students chili containing a mixture of beef and kangaroo meat.
Kevin Frei said he added the ingredient because it was a lean source of protein. But his choice did not go down well with parents who complained that they didn't want their children being served "exotic meat." Some even complained that their kids had felt sick after the meal, despite kangaroo meat not being harmful.
Potter-Drix Public Schools superintendent Mike Williams shared a letter with a few "thoughts on this situation." "1. If a family wants to eat exotic foods, they can do so on their own time—not at school," Williams said, according to the letter, which was posted on Facebook. "2. If we were to have food or ingredients that are out of the ordinary, they should be listed on the menu so that the students and families are aware of what they would be being served.
"3. We will no way be serving food of this nature again. Period."
Williams apologized for the "anxiety and any harm that this has caused individual students and/or families." He added, "We will make sure that something like this never occurs again."
Kangaroo meat is actually a very healthy alternative to beef. It is 98 percent fat-free and high in protein and iron. In Australia, kangaroo meat is a common dish that is offered in bars across the country. Kangaroo meat exports are also growing by around 10 percent per year, according to ABC.
Australia is also facing a pest problem, as the population of kangaroos continues to grow. According to a report in May, the Australian government planned to cull more than 3,000 kangaroos because they would not stop mating. Injection by hand and darting are the two methods that have been tested on approximately 142 animals.
Senior ecologist Claire Wimpenny said darting was the preferred method because it was efficient and cost-effective. "There's no need for a long process of caring for that animal for the three or four hours while it's anesthetized and waking up," she said.
Uncommon Knowledge
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