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Manatee, Charlotte County Schools Put Hold On Beef

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Frank Gluckman

Published: February 6, 2008

For the time being, schoolchildren in Manatee and Charlotte counties will have to get by on spaghetti without meatballs, vegetarian chili and nachos without taco meat.

Both districts joined hundreds of others across the country that pulled beef from school menus this week as federal regulators investigate the possible use of sick and injured cattle by a California meat supplier.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture "hold" on beef provided by the Westland/Hallmark Meat Co. will last at least two weeks.

Manatee County has about 73,000 pounds of beef that can be traced back to Westland/Hallmark, one of the nation's leading suppliers to federal food and nutrition programs that include schools. The questionable meat in Manatee will remain in freezers until the district receives approval from the USDA to use it, said Sandra Ford, director of nutrition for Manatee schools.

Sarasota schools do not get meat from Westland, so meat will be served there, district spokesman Scott Ferguson said.

Charlotte County students will have no-beef meals, though district officials on Wednesday were not sure whether Westland is a supplier.

Westland ships its meat to food processing companies in Cincinnati, one of which supplies Charlotte.

Charlotte officials are taking no chances, district food services director Terri Whitacre said.

"To err on the side of caution, we packed all the meat away," spokesman Mike Riley said.

The USDA made its decision after the Humane Society of the United States turned over undercover video it shot last fall in a Westland/Hallmark meat packing facility in Chino, Calif.

Some of the cattle may have been unable to walk to the slaughter on their own, according to the Humane Society.

In July, the USDA placed a permanent prohibition on processing cattle unable to stand or walk, known as "downer" cattle, because such behavior may indicate illness such as mad cow disease.

The Humane Society images show workers prodding the cattle to move using forklift blades, electrical shocks, kicks and jabs to their eyes.

Any violation of procedure regarding animal slaughter prompts an automatic hold on consumption of the product, according to the USDA.

The USDA did not respond to an interview request Wednesday.

But in a prepared statement, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer said he was "deeply concerned" about allegations against Westland and had indefinitely suspended the company's federal contract.

The USDA also said that it now has evidence that Westland actually processed "downer" cattle.

The Westland meat used in Manatee is only crumbled ground beef, not hamburger patties, Ford said. Each of the district schools will adjust food offerings based on what is on hand, she said.

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