Lawmakers call for review of school lunch program [View All]

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Source: Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic lawmakers on Thursday requested an independent government investigation into the safety of meat in the country's school lunch program following a recent finding that a California plant slaughtered and processed meat from unfit animals.

Westland Meat Co, one of the largest suppliers of beef to the National School Lunch Program and other federal food assistance efforts, voluntarily stopped operations after an affiliate, California-based Hallmark Meat Packing Co, was accused of mistreating disabled or "downer" cattle.

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"While these initial steps by USDA were appropriate, they leave unanswered a larger question about the overall effectiveness of the federal government's effort to ensure the safety of meat in the school food supply," the lawmakers said in a letter to the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of the U.S. Congress.

The letter was sent to the GAO by U.S. Reps. Rosa DeLauro, George Miller, Carolyn McCarthy and Sen. Dick Durbin.

Boston Globe (Reuters)

Read more: http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2008/02/14/lawmakers_call_for_review_of_school_lunch_program/