Sean C. Morgan
Of The New Era
School District 55 is among the school districts and institutions that used beef from Westland Meat Company, which has had its meatpacking operations suspended by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
On Jan. 30, the Humane Society of the United States released a video, showing alleged mistreatment of “downed” cattle, obtained in an undercover investigation of the Hallmark Meat Packing Company of Chino, Calif., which supplies Westland Meat Company. Downed cattle are those that are too sick or injured to walk.
In the video, workers allegedly kick cows, ram them with the blades of a forklift, jab them in the eyes, apply electrical shocks and torture them with a hose and water in attempts to force sick or injured animals to walk to slaughter.
The Hallmark plant supplies the Westland Meat Co., which processes the carcasses. The facility is the second-largest supplier of beef to USDA’s Commodity Procurement Branch, which distributes the beef to needy families, the elderly and also to schools through the National School Lunch Program, according to the Humane Society.
Westland was named a USDA “supplier of the year” for 2004-05 and has delivered beef to schools in 36 states. More than 100,000 schools and child care facilities nationwide receive meat through the lunch program. Hallmark Meat Packing has no connection to Hallmark Cards, Inc.
On Jan. 30, the USDA placed an administrative hold on all Westland Meat Packing Company products because of potential violations of regulatory requirements and contractual terms as a supplier of products to the Federal food and nutrition programs, including the National Lunch Program.
School District 55 received about 400 pounds of Westland ground beef about a week prior to receiving notification from the Oregon Department of Education not to use the meat, food services supervisor Milli Horton said. None of the last shipment had been used.
“It’s on hold,” Horton said. “So it’s just sitting in my freezer.”
The district uses the raw ground beef for menu items such as meatloaf and tacos and other Mexican dishes, Horton said. The district also uses pre-cooked beef crumbles and patties from another supplier.
“We don’t eat a lot of beef,” she said, but every day, the district does operate a fiesta bar at the high school cafeteria, which uses the ground beef.
About once a month, the district receives a shipment from the USDA as part of the National School Lunch Program.
To continue providing beef, the district purchased 400 pounds of ground beef at 99 cents per pound from Safeway, she said. She doesn’t know whether that will be reimbursed by the USDA.
Approximately 185 districts and institutions throughout the state used Westland meat products.
“On Feb. 4, the Food Safety and Inspection Service suspended inspection at Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Company based on the establishment’s clear violation of federal regulations and the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act,” said Dr. Richard Raymond, USDA undersecretary for food safety. “This notice of suspension is a regulatory course of action available when FSIS finds egregious violations of humane handling regulations.
The Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Company voluntarily halted operations on Feb. 1, he said. The USDA suspension will remain in effect and the Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Company will not be allowed to operate until written corrective actions are submitted and verified by FSIS to ensure that animals are humanely handled.
“We are confident in our inspection system and the food safety regulations that ensure the safety and wholesomeness of the food supply,” Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer said. “Among the federal safeguards in place, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service prohibits non-ambulatory disabled cattle and cattle tissue identified as specified risk materials for use in human food.
“I have called on the Office of the Inspector General to work with FSIS and the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service to conduct an investigation into this matter. As a result of the investigation, any violations of food safety or humane handling laws will be immediately acted upon.”
Westland/Hallmark Meat Company President Steve Mendell released a statement on the company’s website on Feb. 3.
“Words cannot accurately express how shocked and horrified I was at the depictions contained on the video that was taken by an individual who worked at our facility from Oct. 3 thru Nov. 14, 2007,” Mendell said. “We have taken swift action regarding the two employees identified on the video and have already implemented aggressive measures to ensure all employees follow our humane handling policies and procedures. We are also cooperating with the USDA investigators on the allegations of inhumane handling treatment which is a serious breach of our company’s policies and training.”