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.
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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.
