As this blog has reported, a recent outbreak of E.coli linked to ground beef from a Northeastern processing plant has resulted in the death of two individuals and caused many others to fall ill. Lawmakers on Capital Hill are not going to let this story go by unnoticed, which is why Rep. George Miller (CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee wants to conduct an investigation over the potential risks of the deadly bacteria getting into school lunches.As the Associated Press reports, one of the most recent outbreaks was linked to ground beef from Fairbanks Farms, which is located in Ashville, New York. While no schools were involved in this outbreak, “Miller said he’s worried that tainted food might be purchased for school meal programs.” This is particularly concerning since children are among the most vulnerable to serious illness from an E.coli outbreak.
To this end Miller has asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate whether or not the infrastructure and capacity is in place at the federal, state, and local level to ensure the foods served at schools are safe. The GAO is “the investigative arm of Congress [.]” Miller would also like the GAO to conduct a study to see the differences, if any, between the ground beef served at schools, and the ground beef served at restaurants and “other commercial buyers.”
There is precedent for Miller’s concerns. Back in September the GAO reported “that federal authorities had failed to tell schools about recalls” of peanut butter and canned vegetables, and as a result, these products could have been served at the schools despite being tainted. The GAO has also found that the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is not always prompt when notifying states and school about recalls of food “distributed through the federal school lunch and breakfast programs, which serve 30 million students.”
Food safety has gotten a lot of attention in 2009. In fact, the House of Representatives have passed a food safety bill that some in the agriculture and food production industries consider controversial. Yet, since the major debates on the Hill have turned to climate change, health care, and Afghanistan, the food safety issue has gotten a little lost. However, depending on what the GAO finds, food safety and Congressional action could be in the headlines again in the coming months.
To read the Associated Press story click here.
Posted: 11/09/09
