Beef served through school lunch placed on hold

On Jan. 30, the U.S. Department of Agriculture directed that schools participating in the National School Lunch Program hold any ground beef received from the Westland Meat Packing Company. USDA announced that it was investigating the company, which is a supplier for the federal food program, for serious allegations regarding the treatment of cattle.

South Dakota has received shipments of ground beef from this company since September 2006 for schools that receive commodities through the National School Lunch Program. To date, there have been no reports of sickness linked to the product from Westland Meat Packing Company.

According to USDA, the product should be clearly labeled that it is from Westland. The hold does not affect ground beef from other companies.

Schools that receive commodities through the National School Lunch Program are asked to report to Elaine Scott, with the state’s Child and Adult Nutrition Services Program, as to whether or not they have ground beef from Westland Meat Packing Company on hand. If you have not already done so, please contact Elaine at (605) 773-3413.

As soon as USDA issues any new directives, the South Dakota Department of Education will communicate with all school districts. We will send updated information to school food service representatives and superintendents. You can also check our Web site (doe.sd.gov) for updates. Look under “Recent Additions.”

Questions regarding the ground beef hold should be directed to the department’s Child and Adult Nutrition Services Program at (605) 773-3413.

For answers to frequently asked questions regarding this issue, click here. This resource was compiled by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which ultimately oversees the National School Lunch Program.