Schools shelved tainted meat

[Jahness]

Schools shelved tainted meat

Questionable beef sent to Gwinnett, Barrow; systems haven’t served since Jan. 30

By Heather Darenberg
Staff Writer
Thursday, February 14, 2008

Where it went
The following is a list of school systems that have been ordered by the Georgia Department of Education to put away products that contain potentially tainted meat from Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Co., a California slaughterhouse that is under investigation following allegations that employees were mistreating cows.

Barrow County, Bartow County, Carroll County, Carrollton City,

Cartersville City, Cherokee County, Clayton County, Cobb County,

Coffee County, Dalton City, Decatur County, DeKalb County,

Fannin County, Floyd County, Forsyth County, Fulton County,

Gordon County, Grady County, Griffin-Spalding County,

Gwinnett County Jackson County Lamar County Marion County

Murray County, Muscogee County, Newton County, Pickens County

Tift County,

Source: Georgia Department of Education
LAWRENCEVILLE - Gwinnett County Public Schools and Barrow County Schools have shelved products containing possibly tainted beef processed at a California slaughterhouse that has been accused of mistreating nonambulatory disabled cattle.

The questionable meat has not been served by either school district since Jan. 30, the day the U.S. Department of Agriculture began investigating reports that plant employees were attempting to force animals that have a higher risk of carrying diseases to walk to slaughter.

Gwinnett County Public Schools has put away 79 cases of taco filling and 174 cases of rotini with meat sauce that contain beef processed by the Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Company, said Jorge Quintana, a school district spokesman. The district had served some of the products before the allegations arose, he said.

"Keep in mind that at the time, there was no reason not to serve it," Quintana said. "It's really important for parents to know the USDA has not said the beef is contaminated or linked to any kind of disease."

Once the school district received notification to stop serving the beef, all cafeterias were alerted within 30 minutes to put the items aside, Quintana said.

Meanwhile, Barrow County Schools have placed four cases of hamburger patties on hold, said Roy Morgan, the assistant superintendent for district services. None of the shipment had been served, he said.

"If we don't get the authorization to say it's OK to use, we're not going to use it," Morgan said. "It will remain on hold until we get clearance or until we're told to destroy it."

Both school districts continue to serve beef that is processed at other plants.

Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Company voluntarily stopped operations Feb. 1. The slaughterhouse processed beef that was used by at least 28 school districts in Georgia and 36 states.

The USDA also indefinitely suspended the Westland Meat Packing Company's eligibility to participate in federal food and nutrition programs, including the National School Lunch Program.

"I am deeply concerned about the allegations made regarding inhumane handling of nonambulatory disabled cattle in a federally inspected slaughter establishment," Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer said in a Jan. 30 statement. "We are confident in our inspection system and the food safety regulations that ensure the safety and wholesomeness of the food supply. Among the federal safeguards in place, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service prohibits nonambulatory disabled cattle and cattle tissue identified as specified risk materials for use in human food."

The USDA began its investigation after the Humane Society of the United States said its undercover investigation of the slaughterhouse revealed mistreatment of "downed" cows, which are too sick or injured to walk. In a video, plant workers are seen using methods described as torture to try to force the animals to walk to slaughter.

"The practice of slaughtering downed cows is especially troubling now that the link between downed cattle and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), also known as mad cow disease, has been firmly established," a Humane Society news release states. "Of the 15 known cases of BSE-infected animals discovered in North America, at least 12 involved downed animals."

The Humane Society is urging Congress to ban the slaughtering of any downed animals for human consumption. The current policy allows the slaughter of downed animals after they pass USDA inspection.

http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/mai...rticleID=11098

[Draptomania]

'TROW' IT OUT! How hard is that?They gonna shelve it so it can get rotten-er? *shrugs*

[Jahness]

'TROW' IT OUT! How hard is that?They gonna shelve it so it can get rotten-er? *shrugs*

Greetings Draptomania!

You know them, they always have a brain lapse when it's for them to do the right thing. Of course they need to keep some for tests but why even have it stay in the schools at all. What exactly does putting it aside mean. By putting it aside someone might accidently mix it up with other meats they have in the same facility. They just take too much chances with peoples lives. I know I am one happy parent when it comes to me always making my children lunches for school. There is so much nastiness out there when it comes to food and contamination. They have to do better and inspect more else the whole country will catch something one day they cannot get rid of.

Peace & Blessings!

[Draptomania]

Greetings Draptomania!

You know them, they always have a brain lapse when it's for them to do the right thing. Of course they need to keep some for tests but why even have it stay in the schools at all. what exactly does putting it aside mean. By putting it aside someone might accidently mix it up with other meat they have i the same facility. These people just take too much chances with peoples lives. I know I am one happy parent when it comes to me always making my children lunches for school. There is so much nastiness out there when it comes to food and contamination. They have to do better else the whole country will catch something one day they cannot get rid of.

Peace & Blessings!

I shall be packing my children's lunches from now on

[Draptomania]

Huge beef recall stems from Calif. plant

By GREG RISLING, Associated Press WriterMon Feb 18, 2:11 AM ET

The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Sunday ordered the recall of 143 million pounds of frozen beef from a California slaughterhouse, the subject of an animal-abuse investigation, that provided meat to school lunch programs.

Officials said it was the largest beef recall in the United States, surpassing a 1999 ban of 35 million pounds of ready-to-eat meats. No illnesses have been linked to the newly recalled meat, and officials said the health threat was likely small.

The recall will affect beef products dating to Feb. 1, 2006, that came from Chino-based Westland/Hallmark Meat Co., the federal agency said.

Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer said his department has evidence that Westland did not routinely contact its veterinarian when cattle became non-ambulatory after passing inspection, violating health regulations.

"Because the cattle did not receive complete and proper inspection, Food Safety and Inspection Service has determined them to be unfit for human food and the company is conducting a recall," Schafer said in a statement.

A phone message left for Westland president Steve Mendell was not immediately returned.

Federal officials suspended operations at Westland/Hallmark after an undercover video from the Humane Society of the United States surfaced showing crippled and sick animals being shoved with forklifts.

Two former employees were charged Friday. Five felony counts of animal cruelty and three misdemeanors were filed against a pen manager. Three misdemeanor counts — illegal movement of a non-ambulatory animal — were filed against an employee who worked under that manager. Both were fired.

Authorities said the video showed workers kicking, shocking and otherwise abusing "downer" animals that were apparently too sick or injured to walk into the slaughterhouse. Some animals had water forced down their throats, San Bernardino County prosecutor Michael Ramos said.

No charges have been filed against Westland, but an investigation by federal authorities continues.

Officials estimate that about 37 million pounds of the recalled beef went to school programs, but they believe most of the meat probably has already been eaten.

"We don't know how much product is out there right now. We don't think there is a health hazard, but we do have to take this action," said Dr. Dick Raymond, USDA Undersecretary for Food Safety.

Most of the beef was sent to distribution centers in bulk packages. The USDA said it will work with distributors to determine how much meat remains.

Federal regulations call for keeping downed cattle out of the food supply because they may pose a higher risk of contamination from E. coli, salmonella or mad cow disease because they typically wallow in feces and their immune systems are often weak.

About 150 school districts around the nation have stopped using ground beef from Hallmark Meat Packing Co., which is associated with Westland. Two fast-food chains, Jack-In-the-Box and In-N-Out, said they would not use beef from Westland/Hallmark.

Jack in the Box, a San Diego-based company with restaurants in 18 states, told its meat suppliers not to use Hallmark until further notice, but it was unclear whether it had used any Hallmark meat. In-N-Out, an Irvine-based chain, also halted use of the Westland/Hallmark beef. Other chains such as McDonald's and Burger King said they do not buy beef from Westland.

Raymond countered a claim leveled by Humane Society President and CEO Wayne Pacelle, who said a USDA inspector was at the Westland plant for about two hours each day. USDA inspectors are there at slaughterhouses "continuously," Raymond said.

Federal lawmakers on Thursday had called for the Government Accountability Office to investigate the safety of meat in the National School Lunch Program.

Upon learning about the recall, some legislators criticized the USDA, saying the federal agency should conduct more thorough inspections to ensure tainted beef doesn't get to the public.

"Today marks the largest beef recall in U.S. history, and it involves the national school lunch program and other federal food and nutrition programs," said U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, chairman of the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. "This begs the question: how much longer will we continue to test our luck with weak enforcement of federal food safety regulations?"

Advocacy groups also weighed in, noting the problems at Westland wouldn't have been revealed had it not been for animal right activists.

"On the one hand, I'm glad that the recall is taking place. On the other, it's somewhat disturbing, given that obviously much of this food has already been eaten," said Jean Halloran, director of food policy initiatives at Consumers Union. "It's really closing the barn door after the cows left."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080218/...G5OUTLefJv24cA