Utah School Throws Away Kids' Lunches over Unpaid Bills

Considering the average quality, they may have been better off

A Utah school district apologized Wednesday after school lunches for up to 40 elementary students were thrown out a day earlier because of outstanding balances on their accounts, CBS Salt Lake City affiliate KUTV-TV reports.

District spokesman Jason Olsen told the Salt Lake Tribune that cafeteria workers at Uintah Elementary School weren't able to see who was in debt until after the lunches had already been handed out Tuesday.

"This situation could have and should have been handled in a different manner," the district said in a statement posted to its Facebook page. "We apologize."

Olsen said the workers threw out the lunches because they can't be served to another student. The students whose lunches were taken away were given fruit and milk.