Meals minutes: 2007-08-21

Minutes:

Meals Meeting
Aug. 21, 2007
Mary K, Tammy C, Judith S, Tracy W, Debbi S, Pam R.

Discussion about allergens:
Should we keep current policy wherein cooks avoid allergens (shrimp
currently not cooked in common house) or change policy so that
members avoid allergens in meals by not signing up for meals with
allergens listed on the menu.

Key issue:
Are any allergies in our community life threatening? Most serious are
shrimp, scallops, mussels; somewhat less are peanut products,
bananas, eggplants.

If allergens are used in a meal, members who are allergic should not
be asked to cook or clean for that meal. Because menus are not
planned a whole work season in advance (don’t even go there…), the
scheduler can not plan for this so members will have to make trades
on nights they are scheduled to cook or clean and the cook is using
an ingredient they need to avoid.

Decisions:
We will put the list of allergens at top of menu template and ask
cooks to add asterisk to title of meal (or Adi to change program so
this happens automatically) indicating immediately to members that
they should check the menu. (NOTE: ADI HAS CHANGED THE TEMPLATE AND
WE WILL WORK WITH THIS FOR AWHILE BEFORE WE IMPLEMENT ANY OTHER
CHANGES.)
We will allow allergens to be cooked in the common house with the
following provisos:
Shrimp, scallops, mussels must be cooked in cooks private cookware.
Cookware is to be returned to cooks home and not left in kitchen for
cleaning crew. Food with shrimp may be served in common house. We
agreed that our plates are so non-porous that they would not retain
allergens after being put through Hobart.
No peanut oil will be stored in the common house as it is too easily
used inadvertently.
We agreed to add some training for the community on how to treat
allergic reactions and perhaps purchase first aid supplies for CH. We
will ask to be on an upcoming agenda and will consult with Mac or
Debbie on this presentation. Judith will be part of the planning for
this also.

Other items/actions to take:

Pam will add new assigned meals workers to go-meals.

Meals shopper will be responsible for getting refills for the gas
tank for the grill. Pam will tell CH.

Review of equipment needs/repairs: immersion blender and cusinart
have been fixed; salad spinner has been made a little bit better but
still needs new part (according to kitchen maintenance guy). Pam will
order new part.

Replacements needed:
We agreed that the idea of having plastic drinking glasses is sound
but the ones we have a grossly ugly. Meals shopper has mandate to
look around for new style.

We seem to be short of oval corning ware casseroles: need 10. Shopper
will inventory and buy new as needed


Additional comments via email
--------------------------
I think to be consistent, we could say no cooking shellfish on the
community grill. I see the grill as being just another form of cookware
- so if you want to cook shrimp kabobs, bring your own grill or ask to
use one that's not community owned.

Tammy

Judith Starks wrote:
Last night, we never talked about the barbeque grill and its role in
our policy. I doubt that anyone would ever grill peanuts or bananas,
but they will grill shellfish. I've been at GO parties where people
brought their grills and asked that no meat be grilled on them. So is
there anything we can do about shellfish on the grill? Can the grate
go into the Hobart to be sterlized, after all the remains are cleaned
off? I don't expect the community to buy a special grill for "No
Shellfish", but I would hate to be eating peanut butter sandwiches
everytime we have a cook-out. Just something else to think about.
Judith