Lawmakers call for review of school lunch program

[flashl]

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.

...

"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/

[knitter4democracy]

1. Finally!

Will they also look into how high fat and low nutrition it is in many districts, too? Some of that stuff is naaaasty.

[lonestarnot]

2. Downer cows and all? Woohoo? 1 person for the entire U.S. LOL

Just kidding. I don't know how many inspectors there are, but my guess is not many.

[tanglefoot]

3. This is what happens when you have an administration opposed to regulations

If they can't get rid of them, they just make sure that they aren't enforced. The chimp has been strangling our government and the system of regulation and monitoring that's supposed to protect us. Jesus, I can't wait for a Dem to get back into the Whitehouse.

[defendandprotect]

5. Well...the GOP pretty much propagandized the public to be OPPOSED to regulations ---!!!!

Many don't understand that they are a necessary to keep corruption out---

I love it when posters tell us that there are simply laws which must be followed --- !!

Don't be selfish --- give up animal-exploitation --- and let the planet live!!!

[ElsewheresDaughter]

4. it's about freakin' time!!!

[defendandprotect]

6. What about testing these animals --- ????

I think we're a little short on performance there, as well --- !!!

[strategery blunder]

7. Am I the only one who thought the headline meant something else?

I clicked on this thread thinking that lawmakers were 'reviewing' the school lunch program, with an eye toward eliminating it. After SCHIP getting cut by greedhead rethugliKKKan$, a Congre$$ional decision to take meals out of the mouths of hungry children just would not have surprised me at all. (Yes, I know Democrat$ have a marginal majority in Congre$$, but with all the bending over and $elling out they do, it is hard to tell sometimes.)

Of course, I would not be surprised if the suspect meat found its way into schools so that Congre$$ could pull the rug out from under hungry kids' mouths under the guise of "safety." :grr: