Most of the suspect beef shipped to Minnesota schools has been used with no ill effects, state school officials said Thursday.
Only about 120 schools or institutions still have beef from Westland Hallmark Meat Co., the California company accused of processing sick cows for human consumption, according to a release from the Minnesota Department of Education.
Christine Dufour, a spokeswoman for the department, said Minnesota organizations received 240,000 pounds of raw beef from Westland between Oct. 26 and Nov. 5, 2007. About 180,000 pounds of the beef has already been used with no known reports of illness.
State officials also identified about 15,500 pounds of Westland beef that was delivered to schools as processed products including beef crumbles and hamburger patties.
State officials will report their findings to the U.S. Department of Agriculture as it works to determine how much of the meat remains in the national food distribution chain.
State officials expect the USDA to make a decision about the fate of unused Westland products as early as next week; in the meantime schools have been directed not to use any remaining Westland beef.
Anyone aware of illnesses associated with Westland products should contact the Minnesota Department of Health at 651-201-5414.
PATRICE RELERFORD
