A Beef With Beef

 

Reacting to a USA Today article, U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-NY, has asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to raise its inspection standards for meat products used in school cafeterias across the country.

Gillibrand, who sits on a committee that oversees the National School Lunch Program, wrote to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack recently, strongly suggesting that the department adopt meat testing standards that are at least equivalent to inspection requirements used by fast-food restaurants and grocery stores. An investigation by the newspaper found that ground beef destined for school lunches sometimes contained as much as 10 times the level of indicator bacteria as beef served by fast-food chains such as McDonald’s and Burger King.

Indicator bacteria hint, but don’t necessarily confirm, that dangerous pathogens like E. coli may be present in the sample.

According to USA Today, fast-food and grocery operations check their ground beef for contaminants as many as 10 times during a production day. Only one sample is taken from ground beef bought by the USDA for school lunch programs.

Gillibrand also urged the USDA to stop dealing with habitual violators of the department’s food safety policies. Vilsack responded that an independent review of testing requirements had been initiated.