District takes no chances
Recalled beef products are shipped off to warehouse by Ontario School District
BY Brielle Kennington
Argus Observer
Thursday, February 21, 2008 10:19 AM PST
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| The Ontario School District placed 117 cases of hamburger patties and 40 cases of ground beef on hold after the United States Department of Agriculture issued a recall Sunday of beef from Westland/Hallmark Meat Co. The district is keeping the meat in its warehouse until the USDA relays the meat is safe to consume. |
Ontario — Where has all the beef gone?
As of Jan. 30, the Ontario School District has removed all beef products from a California slaughterhouse and isolated them in a warehouse freezer until officials can determine whether the beef is safe to consume.
The beef products, from the Chino-based Westland/Hallmark Meat Co., became the subject of a massive recall ordered Sunday by the United States Department of Agriculture. The recall included more than 140 million pounds of frozen beef from the California slaughterhouse. The slaughterhouse is at the epicenter of an animal-abuse probe. United States Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer said earlier this week his agency had evidence that Westland did not routinely contact its veterinarian when cattle became non-ambulatory after previously passing inspection, violating health regulations.
Earlier this week, the Ontario School District was waiting to hear from the United States Department of Agriculture if the meat in the warehouse will need to be recalled.
“If the meat is unsafe and is shown to be bad I wouldn’t want to serve it. Safety is always first with us,” Ontario School District Director of Food Service Pam Suyematsu said.
When questions regarding the slaughterhouse first emerged, the district used beef products from other suppliers including Pierre Foods and Commodity. Pierre Foods hamburger patties were released by the USDA on Feb. 6 in a letter to the Ontario School District stating the patties were not subject to the USDA hold.
“In the beginning we just sourced new ground beef, and we were able to solve a lot of the problems,” Suyematsu said.
However, Feb 17, Pierre Foods voluntarily recalled its hamburger patties. Pierre Foods may have purchased some of its products from Westland Hallmark Meat Co., which would put its products under the recall order.
Ontario School District has now removed Pierre hamburger patties from the school menus until further notice. Until the district is notified if the meat is safe, it has no choice but to hang onto 117 cases of hamburger patties and 40 cases of ground beef.
“I think Pierre Food has been pretty active in letting us know right away,” Suyematsu said.
The USDA is classifying this recall as a Class II, which means it is low risk. While the meat may be subject to a Class II recall, Suyematsu still questions the safety of the meat.
“If the animals were sick I would hope that they would recall the meat,” she said.
