Congressman wants investigation into E-coli lunch contamination

Associated Press

Last update: November 8, 2009 - 9:31 PM

CONGRESSMAN CALLS FOR INQUIRY AFTER E.COLI OUTBREAK

The chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee wants an investigation into the risk of deadly E. coli getting into school lunches.

Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., is worried about a recent outbreak that killed at least two people and sickened about two dozen others in 11 states.

The E. coli outbreak was linked to ground beef produced by Fairbank Farms in Ashville, N.Y.

No schools were involved in the outbreak, but Miller said that he's worried that tainted food could be purchased for school meal programs.

Miller asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the investigative arm of Congress, to check into whether there are adequate protections for school meals at the local, state and federal levels. He also asked investigators to compare the safety and quality of ground beef available to schools with the ground beef available to restaurants and other commercial buyers.

The GAO said in a September report that federal authorities had failed to tell schools about recalls of potentially tainted peanut products and canned vegetables, and cafeterias might have unknowingly served them to children.

A GAO investigation found that the U.S. Department of Agriculture didn't always make sure that states and schools were notified promptly about recalled food distributed through the federal school lunch and breakfast programs, which serve 30 million students.

E. coli is among several kinds of bacteria that can sicken or kill people. Outbreaks of food poisoning from E. coli often are linked to ground beef, but recent outbreaks also involved prepackaged cookie dough and fresh spinach.

Symptoms of E. coli infection include severe stomach cramps, vomiting and diarrhea that is often bloody.

Very young children and the elderly are particularly vulnerable, but serious illness from E. coli can also strike healthy older children and young adults.

ASSOCIATED PRESS