And, it's paying 50 cents more per pound to get it, according to this Associated Press story in the Detroit Free Press . The testing requirements were put in place to reduce the chance that disease-causing microbes would be served up for lunch at schools nationwide. Ground beef and other processed meats are often culprits in food-poisoning cases because they are handled more than some other kinds of foods. The USDA usually buys about 125 million pounds of beef each year and supplies it to schools for only the cost of shipping. This year, however, the requirements say that meat can contain no salmonella bacteria, a standard that is more strict than for meat sold at grocery stores.
Meat packers say the rules are unworkable.
The USDA says it plans to stick with the program. If you're buying school lunches because you're having a hard time coming up with something healthful to pack in a lunch box, check out this article on packing nutritious school lunches from FitnessLink . And, here is another link on the same subject from the Colorado State University Cooperative Extension . All rights reserved.