Schools

Beef back on the menu in schools

Safe shipments have been separated from recalled ones at many of the area's schools.

By Letitia Stein, Times Staff Writer
Published February 19, 2008

With beef from the national recall indentified, school cafeterias feel comfortable putting items like cheeseburgers and all-beef hotdogs back on their menus.
	[Skip O'Rourke | Times (2007)]

TAMPA - Despite a record recall of beef products nationally, many of the Tampa Bay area's school cafeterias are putting items like cheeseburgers and all-beef hotdogs back on their menus.

School officials say they now know which beef items are safe to eat.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture ordered the recall Sunday after investigating charges that a slaughterhouse supplying school lunch programs treated cattle inhumanely, creating a potential safety hazard.

Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas school officials already had pulled beef off their lunch lines after hearing about problems at the slaughterhouse two weeks ago. Some cafeteria managers were told not to serve any beef products, including those known to be safe because they didn't come from the California slaughterhouse in question.

"We decided to be as conservative as possible until we received all of the facts from the USDA," said Pasco schools spokeswoman Summer Romagnoli.

Pasco now feels comfortable serving the products whose safety was never questioned. Middle and high school students will see hamburgers, cheeseburgers and meatballs in their lunch lines this week.

Elementary schools will be serving beef teriyaki nuggets.

Pinellas school officials have identified about 100 cases of beef product that they expect to have to destroy.

Cafeterias are clear to resume serving all-beef hotdogs and beef crumbles used in casseroles, but the district will be looking for a new source of beef for a hamburger patty that was recalled.

School officials acknowledge that an initial hold on all beef was an "overly cautious" approach.

"I don't apologize for that at all," said Gray Miller, director of food service for Pinellas schools, noting that safety is paramount.

Hillsborough schools are awaiting guidance from its suppliers.

The district has about 135 cases of recalled beef products. The hamburger patties and meatballs are worth about $3,300, school spokesman Stephen Hegarty said.

Student nutrition specialist Heather Wellings said Hillsborough does not have immediate plans to resume serving a full range of beef products.

But cafeterias have been offering a beef and bean burrito that never raised any safety questions. She hopes to have more information later this week.

Letitia Stein can be reached at lstein@sptimes.com or 813 226-3400. For more education news, visit the Gradebook at blogs.tampabay.com/schools.

[Last modified February 18, 2008, 22:35:06]