# SALMONELLA BURGERS FOR SCHOOLD KIDS MAKE A COMEBACK



## Mike NoLomotil (Jun 6, 2000)

SALMONELLA-TAINTED MEAT FOR SCHOOL KIDS MAKES COMEBACK. OFFICIALS REVERSETHEMSELVES, MAY EASE STUDENT LUNCH SALMONELLA STANDARDSAPI- Agriculture Department Officials say they are discussing thepossibility of loosening their new standards for preventing salmonellacontamination in ground beef used for the nations' school lunch program.The reconsideration, which was provoked by criticism from the FOODINDUSTRY, angered consumer advocates when announced.Since June, the department, which provides 70 percent of the ground beefused in schools, has required every batch it buys be free of salmonella.Before that there were no standards for any pathogens, includingsalmonella, a bacteria responsible for 600 deaths and 1.4 MILLIONillnesses last year alone.MEAT PROCESSORS COMPLAINED that the standards were Unnecessary becauseproper cooking kills the bacteria, AND THEY WERE TOO DIFFICULT TO MEET.(***600 deaths and 1.4 million illnesses last year alone***)At first many declined to even bid on government contracts for the schoollunch program. But the industry ended up with a glut of beef and over thepast several weeks more companies have offered meat for sale. Still, thedepartment has been able to buy only half the ground beef it needs forschools at about 55 CENTS a pound more.("NEEDS"? Who 'NEEDS' beef hamburgers!)Faced with the industry criticism the department officials began toreconsider the salmonella rules. When asked last week whether thedepartment was scaling back the standards, Kathleen Merrigan,Administrator of the departments' Agricultural Marketing Service said:"I WOULD PREFER TO SAY WE ARE FINE TUNING THEM."(I am Sure that's the way you would Prefer to say it.)Consumer groups have accused the department of caving in to the industry.Carol Tucker Foreman, a former Agriculture Department official, and nowDirector of The Food Policy Institute of the Consumer Federation ofAmerica said the department was falling back on its more "traditionalrole" OF PROMOTING THE INTERESTS OF THE FOOD INDUSTRY AND NEGLECTING ITSDUTY TO CONSUMERS.Meanwhile Locally:--------------------------------------------------------------------FLORIDA COMPANY RECALLS PAPRIKA FOR SALMONELLA CONTAMINATION--------------------------------------------------------------------Palm Beach Post Wire Report:Florida based Badia Spices Inc. is recalling 22,000 bottles of PAPRIKAbecasue the spice may be contaminated with salmonella, which can causeserious infections in certain people.The Miami company recalled BADIA PAPRIKA that has the followingidentification on the label: An expiration date of 11-2002 and the UPCnumber 33844-00011. These are 2-ounce plastic bottles.Consumers should not eat the recalled product and return it to the placeof purchase for a refund.Symptoms of salmonella infection include diarrhea, fever, abdominal painand vomiting. Healthy people typically recover in a few days, butSALMONELLA CAN CAUSE SERIOUS INFECTIONS IN YOUNG CHILDREN, the elderly,and people with weakened immune systems. No illnesses as of yet have beenreported from this product.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------(Rumor has it that BADIA has found a ready market for the tainted paprikain the Government Sponsored School Lunch Program. -MNL)


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