Disposing of beef is troublesome for some schools
Mar 4, 2008 1:49 PM
School districts around the country were told last month to dispose of
millions of pounds of recalled beef, but the logistics of getting rid of the
beef has proved to be difficult for some food service managers. The federal
government directed schools to take the beef to a landfill, or have it
incinerated or sent to a rendering plant. Roughly a third of the 143 million
pounds of beef recalled went to schools across the nation through the
Agriculture Department's National School Lunch program.
Click here to read The
Los Angeles Times article.
FROM FEBRUARY 2008: More than a third of the 143 million pounds of California beef
recalled this week went to school lunch programs, and at least 20 million pounds
was consumed, Agriculture Department officials say. About 50 million pounds of the meat went to
schools; about 20 million pounds has been eaten, 15 million pounds
is on hold at storage facilities and 15 million pounds is still being traced.
Click here to read The
Washington Post article.
ALSO: Until 143 million pounds of beef from the company were recalled this
week, the Chino Valley (Calif.) Unified School District food director had
no idea some of the beef served in her cafeterias came from the old dairy cows
slaughtered just around the corner. Officials at Chino and other school
districts around the country have little clue where the food supplied through
the National School Lunch Program comes from. After this week's largest-ever
recall of beef, officials are nervous about the quality of the U.S. Department
of Agriculture food that they have no choice but to trust.
To
read The Los Angeles Times article, click here.
EARLIER: Hawaii public schools have stopped cooking meals with beef packed by a
California company under investigation for alleged animal cruelty and
violation of food safety rules. The state Department of Education has told all
of its 285 schools "to immediately cease" using meat from Hallmark
Meat Packing Co., a major supplier for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's
National School Lunch Program.
Click here to read The
Honolulu Star-Bulletin article.
