2/20/08 Medill Reports: Schools scramble to replace recalled meat
Schools scramble to replace recalled meat
Medill Reports, Washington: Feb 20, 2008
by Patrick Temple-West
What is a recall?
– Recalls are voluntary. The FDA and USDA do not have the authority to recall products, except in extreme circumstances involving baby formula, for example. But the agencies do notify the public of the recall and companies usually respect the recall advisory.
Can Westland/Hallmark products be identified?
– Westland/Hallmark is a wholesale distributor and its meat products were not sold in retail stores.
What is a Class II recall?
– The Westland/Hallmark recall was classified as “class II” meaning the possibility of serious health consequences is remote. A class I recall has the potential for serious health consequences or death.
WASHINGTON – Students nationwide expecting their hamburgers and sloppy joes may be surprised with a potluck lunch for the next few weeks.
School cafeterias were cleaning out their freezers this week after the government recalled 143 million pounds of meat from a company that violated federal procedures.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture delivered 26 percent of the recalled meat, 37 million pounds of ground beef, to schools through the National School Lunch Program, a division of the USDA. Now cafeterias are left to juggle lunch menus as the USDA works with state and local school officials to withdraw the meat and replace it with fresh products.
The USDA said it could not estimate when all of the meat will be flushed out of circulation.
The recall has sparked questions about the USDA’s ability to handle the nation’s food safety.
Last year, the USDA bought $38.7 million worth of ground beef from the Westland/Hallmark Meat Co., which was caught abusing and slaughtering unfit cows in violation of federal regulations. The Humane Society reported last month that the USDA bought 27 million pounds of beef from the company with California getting the largest amount, almost 8 million pounds. In all, 36 states bought meat from Westland, headquartered in Chino, Calif.
The recall has complicated meal schedules at schools. Often, lunch calendars are made up a semester in advance, and schools have limited freezer space to hold shipments.
“Starting since the hold, we began moving product around, diverting loads originally intended to other places where needs are greater,” said Bruce I. Knight, USDA under secretary for marketing and regulatory programs.
The recall moved Congress into action. Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-Conn., called for USDA to be stripped of its food safety responsibility, the Associated Press reported Wednesday. DeLauro, who chairs the appropriations subcommittee responsible for funding the USDA, said the U.S. House will hold hearings on the matter beginning next month.
Rep. George Miller, chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, said the Government Accountability Office, an arm of Congress, has agreed to investigate the USDAís food safety procedures.
An inquiry into Westlandís violations continues.
A meat processing plant cannot operate without a USDA food safety inspector at the site, USDA officials said. Meat plants cannot slaughter “downer cows,” those unable to walk, without an inspectorís approval. Such cows may pose a higher risk of contamination from E. coli, salmonella and mad cow disease for humans who consume the meat.
The USDA would not say how the violations at Westland/Hallmark occurred while it was under inspection.
“This plant wasn’t following the rules associated with humane slaughter,” Knight said. “Because they did not follow the rules, we need to recall the product. In all likelihood, this is a safe product.”
The Humane Society released undercover video from Westland/Hallmarkís plant on Jan. 30, which prompted the USDAís recall on Feb. 17.
No illnesses were reported, the USDA said, but symptoms related to Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, commonly known as mad cow disease, may not develop for more than a year after ingestion.
“USDA is saying there are no reports of illnesses, but not all illnesses would be apparent particularly in the case of BSE (mad cow), which wonít show up for years,” said Linda Lewis, a former USDA analyst who now analyzes the agency’s ability to respond to emergencies.
“It’s questionable that they can imply that there’s no hurry to recall the meatóthat it’s just a formality.”