Local schools yanked Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing company beef from their freezer shelves this week as part of the largest beef recall in U.S. history. Westland is the second largest supplier of United States Department of Agriculture beef, which is provided to local schools at the cost of shipping.
Fort Bragg and Mendocino school districts were among the 10 Mendocino County school districts that got beef from Westland.
Kids in Fort Bragg Unified School District will still be able to get beef when they go back to school next week, but none from the recalled batch or even the now-controversial company.
On Jan. 31, an order to hold the meat was given, at which time Pilar Gray, nutritional director for the Fort Bragg Unified School District, put all the Hallmark/Westland products on the freezer shelf, not just those recalled.
So when Monday”s recall made national headlines, the meat was directed to the trash, although local schools will have to comply with disposal and paperwork requirements to get reimbursed. Gray said that process was under way on Tuesday.
Gray went to work to find a replacement source for the meat when the hold hit and has been buying meat at a premium this month. “We are paying more for the commercial product at this time, but the safety of our children is far more important than saving a few dollar,” Gray said.
Mendocino schools Superintendent Catherine Stone said Tuesday the district had immediately pulled any products that might have been part of the recall.
The Fort Bragg Food Bank also got some of the recalled USDA beef last summer but had none on hand when the recall hit. One local soup kitchen had some and returned it to the Food Bank, where it is being prepared for disposal, said Food Bank Director Nancy Severy.
The recall of 143 million pounds of beef came after a plant worker who was actually a Humane Society of America “investigator” filmed horrible scenes inside a Chino, Calif., plant owned by Hallmark/Westland. The videos are now making the rounds on the Internet.
Of most interest to the USDA was the company dragging collapsed cattle to slaughter. “Downer” cattle are illegal to slaughter, presenting a greater risk of Mad Cow Disease. The recall is retroactive to 2006, meaning most of the meat has already been eaten. On the good news side, there is no record of anyone getting sick from the meat anywhere.
The supplier Gray found for Fort Bragg lunches was Don Lee.
“Don Lee is the only company whose beef products we are currently using, as they are able to certify that the product I purchased contained commercial (not USDA commodity) beef from different sources — not Westland — and because they have such extensive safety measures in place.”
Severy said the Food Bank doesn”t like to spend its money on the beef, but prefers to stretching funds for purchases that benefit more people.
California Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O”Connell on Tuesday announced more information will be sent to all California school districts on the proper method of destroying recalled ground beef from the Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Company and how to seek reimbursement.
“I am directing the California Department of Education”s Nutrition Services Division to send out more information to our schools about the proper procedure on how to destroy any Westland meat they find at their schools and how they may be reimbursed through the National School Lunch Program,” O”Connell said in a press release.
“Thankfully, there have been no reports of illness among California students who may have eaten the beef over the past several months. However, I remain very concerned about the recall and the safety of the food supply,” the press release stated.
About half of California”s nearly 6.3 million students qualify for free or reduced-priced meals. California schools serve four million such meals a day to students, including breakfast and lunch, according to the state Department of Education.
Gray, who wants parents to know there are “no worries,” described Fort Bragg Unified”s systems for immediate notification of recalls and holds.
USDA Commodities, California Department of Education and the California School Nutrition Association all provide immediate notifications via email.
“All of us receive automated emails from the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. Furthermore, myself and all managers are on a rapid alert” notification system from the California Department of Public Health — they have an automated system that telephones every school kitchen, my office, and my cell phone, as well as emailing myself and every manager, and faxing a notification to the district office,” said Gray.
“We want to make sure that all of our bases are covered. The safety of the children is our highest priority,” Gray said.
Mendocino County schools that received meat from Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Company include Anderson Valley USD (Unified School District), Fort Bragg USD, Laytonville USD, Leggett Valley USD, Lifeworks School, Inc., Manchester Union SD, Mendocino USD, Point Arena Jt. Union High SD, Potter Valley Community USD and Round Valley USD.
