Food vendor apologizes for serving culturally insensitive school lunch on 1st day of Black History Month

Aramark logo on a truck
(Image credit: NurPhoto / Contributor/ Getty Images)

Food vendor Aramark has apologized for the "unintentional insensitivity" of the menu offered at a New York middle school on the first day of Black History Month. The apology is reminiscent, NBC News writes, of "similar apologies [Aramark] has made for more than a decade amid backlash over racially insensitive menus."

Though it said the menu was "not intended as a cultural meal," Aramark acknowledged that "the timing was inappropriate, and our team should have been more thoughtful in its service." After students and their families pointed out that the meal reinforced negative stereotypes about Black people and their affinity for certain foods, the company apologized for its "mistake," adding that it "does not represent the values of our company," per CNN. "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," Aramark added.

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Theara Coleman, The Week US

Theara Coleman has worked as a staff writer at The Week since September 2022. She frequently writes about technology, education, literature and general news. She was previously a contributing writer and assistant editor at Honeysuckle Magazine, where she covered racial politics and cannabis industry news.