Dear Sec. Glickman,
USDA has a new regulation that requires that the meat, which the Department buys for lunches in American schools, be completely free of salmonella. It appears that one result of this new regulation is that there hasn’t been enough meat which satisfies that new requirement. So, many schools aren’t getting their normal supply of meat, plus the meat that satisfies the new standards costs USDA much more than it did last year.

I work for the Food Safety and Inspection Service. I’m wondering how should one respond to the general public when questions are asked about this decrease in meat available for the school lunch program?

Norman Garton
Nevada, Mo.

Dear Norman,
Thanks for your letter concerning USDA’s purchase of ground meat products for the National School Lunch Program.

On June 23, 2000, the Department issued new quality and safety requirements for raw ground beef products purchased for distribution to schools and other federal food and nutrition programs. The new requirements are designed to enhance the quality and safety of ground beef products by including pathogen intervention and testing requirements. While purchases will continue under the new requirements for this school year, we’re continuously assessing the specification and contractual requirements for raw ground beef products to determine where improvements can be made or if changes are appropriate.

Currently, contracts have been awarded for over three-quarters (78 percent) of the ground beef that USDA had been anticipating purchasing by this time. Although the first several invitations issued to suppliers resulted in contracts for less than half the quantities sought, more recent invitations have allowed purchases beyond what was requested. Beef purchased by USDA during the current quarter totals 65.7 million pounds at a cost of approximately $103.6 million. Recent ground beef purchases for this school year, with the additional safety attributes, cost approximately $0.20 more per pound than ground beef purchased last year.

Purchases are continuing on a weekly basis, and participation by suppliers has dramatically increased compared to initial offerings. At the current pace, we anticipate meeting all of our recipients’ needs for ground beef products.

I appreciate your interest and the information you provided.

Dan Glickman
Secretary

EDITOR’S NOTE: This “Letters” section is an opportunity for USDA employees to communicate with Secretary Dan Glickman, through questions or comments, on matters that would be appropriate and of general interest to USDA employees across the country. He invites employees to use this particular forum in the USDA News to communicate with him, by using the following mailing address: “Letters,” Sec. Dan Glickman, USDA, STOP #0190, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20250.