Meat recall forces all beef off Phila. school menus
Burgers are off the menu, for now, at Philadelphia public schools. The school system announced yesterday it was withdrawing all dishes made with beef from school menus because local schools had received recalled beef products through the National School Lunch program, a federal program administered here by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.
Burgers are off the menu, for now, at Philadelphia public schools.
The school system announced yesterday it was withdrawing all dishes made with beef from school menus because local schools had received recalled beef products through the National School Lunch program, a federal program administered here by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.
"The USDA has informed us that the risk of children getting ill from this beef recall is negligible," district spokesman Fernando Gallard said yesterday.
"At this time, we have not received any notification of a child being ill because of this beef recall," Gallard said.
Gallard said the district will continue to serve fish, chicken, vegetables and other foods.
Earlier this month the USDA suspended operations of the Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Co., of Chino, Calif., after the Humane Society of the United States filmed employees there using forklifts and electric prods to try to force downed cows apparently too sick or injured to walk into the slaughter lineup.
On Sunday, Hallmark/Westland recalled 143 million pounds of beef products as far back as 2006, the largest recall of beef in U.S. history.
Officials said downed animals had to be inspected before slaughter by a government veterinarian to make sure they did not have diseases such as E. coli, salmonella or mad-cow disease.
The beef was sold to the district through six regional processors, Gallard said.
Philadelphia schools are among more than 190 Pennsylvania districts that have received the recalled beef products, according to the state Department of Agriculture.
Other area school districts include William Penn, Haverford Township, Bristol Township, Bensalem and Lower Merion, it said.
"There is a very low risk to human health in this recall," said state Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff.
Gallard said the school system was uncertain of the amount of recalled beef currently in schools.
"We have put a hold on all beef products, regardless of their source, from menus until further notice," Gallard said. *
