Hamburgers and meatballs may be missing from some school menus this fall because the government can't find affordable ground beef after imposing new testing requirements on meat processors this summer. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has purchased less than 40 percent of the school-bound beef it had bought at this time last year and is paying as much as 50 cents a pound more to get it. The USDA buys about 125 million pounds of beef each year and supplies it free to schools. They pay only for shipping. Patterned after standards set by fast-food chains, the requirements are significantly tougher than those for meat sold in grocery stores.
Processors say the rules, which also apply to pork and poultry, are unworkable.
The precipitous nature of this is where the problem lies, not the intent. Kris Spellman, director of nutrition services for the Grand Island public schools, said Wednesday that the school district normally gets its ground beef through the commodity program but is now purchasing ground beef on the open market. The district paid about 7 cents a pound for ground beef, just the costs for shipping and storage, through the commodity program. The school system purchases 2,200 to 2,500 pounds of ground beef monthly and serves about 4,500 meals daily. We need to serve ground beef in order for kids to eat lunch with us.