Beef Recall Hits School Lunch Program

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

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 back two years to Feb. 1, 2006, that came from Chino, Calif.-based Westland/Hallmark Meat Co.,...