Minnesota school districts and other institutions already used nearly three-fourths of the 240,000 pounds of raw ground beef they had received from a California company that is now the target of a nationwide beef recall.

While no illnesses have been reported from the beef in question, the districts are complying with the recall of the remaining meat they have in stock, state school officials said.

Earlier this week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture ordered a recall of 143 million pounds of beef from a California slaughterhouse under investigation for animal abuse.

In Minnesota, about 167 schools and institutions had already used more than 173,000 pounds of the raw ground beef they had received from Westland Hallmark Meat Company. The remaining 66,905 pounds of it has been isolated along with 56,000 pounds of processed beef products.

"Our No. 1 concern is the health and safety of Minnesota students," Minnesota Deputy Education Commissioner Chas Anderson said in a written statement. "We have already located and isolated Westland beef that is still in Minnesota schools and will work with local school districts to comply with the USDA recall."

School districts that had received the beef, including the Anoka-Hennepin, Minnetonka and St. Paul School Districts, were instructed to place the beef on hold as of Jan. 30, state officials said.

Randy Wanke, a spokesman for the department, said it will provide districts with information related to disposal and reimbursement as soon as it's available. In the past, the USDA has reimbursed the state Department of Education which then reimburses individual districts in such cases, Wanke said.

The national ban affects Westland Hallmark Meat Company's entire production of meat dating back to Feb. 1, 2006. According to the Associated Press, it surpasses a 1999 ban of 35 million pounds of ready-to-eat meals.

The company came under fire last month for processing non-ambulatory cattle for human consumption. No known illnesses have been linked to the meat in other states, either.

Anyone aware of illnesses associated with Westland products can contact the Minnesota Department of Health at 651-201-5414.

Patrice Relerford • 612-673-4395