Food Safety Outbreak: School Lunches
In August 2009, an outbreak of salmonella that sickened 39 people in 11 states was traced to ground beef from Beef Packers, Inc. The USDA recommended a recall of beef packed at the plant on certain days in June, but only of beef sent to some retailers.
Oddly, the agency did not recommend a recall of three orders of ground beef processed in the same facility for the National School Food Lunch Program. The omission raised questions about whether that big customer’s clout trumped safety concerns, even though children are more vulnerable than adults to food-borne illness.
One food safety expert said that the case "highlights a potential flaw in the system that should be addressed." A fourth school lunch program order, which tested positive for salmonella, was rejected.
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Sources
Morrison, B, Eisler, P, and Debarros, A. 2009. Why a recall of tainted beef didn’t include school lunches. USA Today. December 2, Accessed july 26, 2010
