Student Well-Being News in Brief

Inquiry Sought on Safety of Meat in Federal School Lunch Program

By Alyson Klein & The Associated Press — February 19, 2008 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Four Democratic members of Congress last week called for the U.S. Government Accountability Office to investigate the safety of meat in the National School Lunch Program.

The request, from Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee and others, comes as the U.S. Department of Agriculture has suspended the contract of a major supplier of meat for school lunches. The Hallmark/Westland Meat Co., based in Chino, Calif., has been accused of shipping meat from disabled cows. Such meat may pose a higher risk for E. coli, salmonella, and other bacteria.

See Also

Read the updated story,

Beef Recall Hits School Lunch Program

The USDA launched an investigation last month, and alerted school districts to the problem. Since the Jan. 31 announcement, several states have barred the company’s products from schools, including Idaho, Iowa, Hawaii, Minnesota, Montana, Oregon, South Dakota, and Washington state.

Steve Mendell, the company’s president, said in a letter posted on its Web site that the company was cooperating with USDA investigators and was conducting its own inquiry.

Over the past five years, Hallmark/Westland has sold about 100 million pounds of beef for federal food and nutrition programs, including the school lunch program. It is unclear how much of that product made it into schools, said Angela Harless, a spokeswoman for the USDA.

A version of this article appeared in the February 20, 2008 edition of Education Week

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Special Education Webinar
Big Goals, Small Start: Building MTSS to Scale
MTSS is a powerful framework for supporting student success, but implementation can be challenging. Learn from districts about their MTSS success stories and challenges.
Content provided by Panorama Education
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Recruitment & Retention Webinar
Exploring Staff Shortage Impact on Education
Learn about the impact of staff shortages, changing roles of educators, and how technology supports teachers & students.
Content provided by Promethean
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Assessment Webinar
Improving Outcomes on State Assessments with Data-Driven Strategies
State testing is around the corner! Join us as we discuss how teachers can use formative data to drive improved outcomes on state assessments.
Content provided by Instructure

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Student Well-Being Spotlight Spotlight on SEL for Students
This Spotlight will help you understand what's classified as social-emotional learning, how much time should be dedicated to SEL, and more.
Student Well-Being Opinion A Reward System Can Build a Homework Habit. Here's How
Students can try these ideas to see what works for them.
1 min read
Images shows a stylized artistic landscape with soothing colors.
Getty
Student Well-Being Q&A This Teacher Shares Trauma-Informed Strategies on TikTok. Here Are Her Top Insights
Trauma-informed care starts with meeting kids' basic needs for connection, food, and motivation.
9 min read
Photograph of child's hand drawing a bright smiling sun.
E+/Getty
Student Well-Being Opinion What to Tell Students Who Keep to Themselves
Even introverts feel better than they expect after talking to strangers.
David G. Myers
1 min read
Images shows a stylized artistic landscape with soothing colors.
Getty