5 things: CA schools violated Buy American mandate: audit

Each Friday I compile a list that highlights five things you probably missed in the news that week and why you should care about them. 

Here’s your list for the week of July 31:

1. CA schools violated Buy American mandate: Audit

California schools aren’t doing as much as they should to meet the Buy American provision, a recent audit found. The Buy American provision is a federal law that requires schools to purchase food grown or processed in the US “to the maximum extent practicable.” The audit came after Sacramento City Unified School District came under pressure for buying canned fruit from China. The district quickly started purchasing from US suppliers, but it got the attention of state lawmakers, who asked for an audit, which found that the California Department of Education failed to check compliance with the Buy American mandate until the 2016-2017 school years. It also found that the department of ed didn’t collect enough evidence and also failed to publish its findings online, which is required by federal law. The audit found that six districts (Elk Grove, Fresno, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and Stockton) didn’t purchase enough US food to be in compliance. Only two districts consistently included Buy American language in their bids (San Diego and San Francisco). The state department of ed warned that there is little guidance on the Buy American mandate and its requirements and said that results were likely skewed because the federal government only started requiring reviews last year.

Read more: Audit faults 'Buy American' compliance at California schools

2. UMass ranks No. 1 in Princeton Review 

The Princeton Review has named the University of Massachusetts Amherst as the best in college dining for the second year in a row. The rest of the top 10 were Bowdoin College, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Olaf College, James Madison University, Virginia Tech, Cornell University, Saint Anselm College, Bryn Mawr College and Bates College.

Read more: UMass Amherst No. 1 in Campus Dining for Second Straight Year, Says Princeton Review 

3. UC settles lawsuit over receipts

A class action lawsuit that was filed against the University of California in March has been settled. The lawsuit was filed after customers who purchased items at UCLA’s on campus-stores and medical center cafeterias had more than the last five digits of their credit or debit card numbers printed on their recipes. This violated the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act. UC agreed to pay $400,000 in settlement funds, as well as up to $450,000 in vouchers to certain customers.

Read more: UC settles class action lawsuit with payments, vouchers 

4. Apple to employees: There’s no such thing as a free lunch

One of the great perks of working for tech giants like Apple is the free meals. But employees at the company’s new location, tentatively called Apple #Park, will have to pay for their meals. The reasoning behind the move could come from the company’s late founder, Steve Jobs, who once said he didn’t think employees should have free meals. Rather, Jobs felt they would appreciate the availability of the meals if they had to pay for them. 

Read more: Apple employees at the new campus will have to pay for their lunch
 
5.  New site allows patients to rate hospital experience

Call it Yelp for hospitals. Well, sorta. A new site, started by a doctor, allows patients to rate their hospital experience. While the intention is mostly to rate the medical facilities and practices, patients can also post about their overall hospital stay, including food.

Read more: Local physician starts website to share patient experiences

Bonus: Excess food cut from waste stream at Rush Medical Center

Contact Becky Schilling at [email protected].

Follow her on Twitter: @bschilling_FM