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Where's the beef?

BoardBuzz couldn't resist quoting our favorite commercial from the '80s (bonus points if you remember Clara Peller) when we read this article in USA Today. It seems that since last month's beef recall, some schools are quite literally wondering, "Where's the beef?" The recall has caused school districts to reexamine the health of meat that ends up in the lunch line.

Based on prepared congressional testimony to be delivered today, two officials with the School Nutrition Association are expected to urge the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to update its recall communications system. Delays in getting complete information about the recall of 143 million pounds of beef from the Westland/Hallmark Meat Co. in Chino, Calif., kept school food officials in the dark about details, officials say. "Until all products are properly disposed, we will be traveling uncharted territory in making sure we obtain all information from all sources that are available to us," says Dora Rivas, director of child nutrition for Dallas schools.

The recall was in response to "videos showing workers at the plant inhumanely handling downer cattle bound for the slaughterhouse. Federal regulations ban slaughtering cattle that can't walk for fear they're infected with mad cow disease." Burgers anyone? But in all seriousness, and it is serious, that's for sure, the way the recall worked, schools ended up (in some cases) ill-equipped to handle the barrage of inquiries from concerned parents and community members.

School Nutrition Association President Mary Hill says in her testimony that on Feb. 17, "we did not have the information we needed to respond to the many questions we immediately received from very concerned parents." Kate Houston, deputy undersecretary of Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services, defends the agency in her testimony. The automated, Web-based alert system was activated to contact meat recipients, with repeated follow-ups, she says. The USDA also worked with the Department of Education to spread the word, she says.

How did your school district handle the beef recall? Leave a comment here and tell us about it.

Full post as published by BoardBuzz: NSBA's Daily Weblog on March 04, 2008 (boomark / email).