Congressman Requests Investigation into E.Coli Risk in School Lunches

The chair of the U.S. House of Representatives’ Education and Labor Committee has reportedly asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate the risk of E.coli contamination in school lunches. In a letter to GAO, U.S. Representative George Miller (D-Calif.) wrote that he remains “concerned about the safety of our nation’s food supply and whether there is an undue risk for food contaminated with dangerous pathogens to be unknowingly purchased by schools for use in the school meals program.”

While the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) currently requires E. coli testing for all ground beef acquired by schools through the commodity program, there are no minimum testing standards for ground beef that schools purchase off the commercial market. Miller has thus asked GAO to determine whether adequate protections are in place for school meals at the local, state and federal levels, and whether the safety and quality of ground beef available to schools are comparable to the safety and quality of ground beef available to restaurants and other commercial buyers. See Miller Press Release and The Associated Press, November 9, 2009.