Antibiotics Expert

According to experts, up to 70% of the antibiotics in this country are going to livestock. It has raised concerns that widespread use of antibiotics on U.S. farms is making the drugs less effective for treating humans. One local school district is serving anti-biotic free meat.

Pizza is the top pick this Tuesday at Ford Elementary in Laurens School District 55; but chicken nuggets fly off the counter too. In this Upstate school district, they are aware of the growing waistlines of young Americans, and they are making an effort to trim fat where they can. According to Wanda Knight, Director of Child Nutrition Services for the District, “I don’t know that the parents really understand what goes into the school meals, with whole wheat products, whole grain products, reduced fat cheeses…“ Laurens 55 is also one a handful of the districts in the State to serve Coleman’s hot dogs, an antibiotic-free meat. That means the animals are vegetarian fed and not given anti-biotics, hormones or preservatives. Knight says, “We thought it was a healthier choice for the children, and we like to offer that as much as we can.”

A regular hotdog costs the district about $.18. An antibiotic free dog costs about $.38: a different of about $.20. Knight says, “Of course, we don’t like to put a price tag on our children’s health, but unfortunately we do have to weigh the cost and try to keep it you know, amenable cost as possible.“ The school district says it hears from parents who support the idea of healthier foods in schools. “It’s nice to get the feedback from the parents,“ says Knight. You know you have a good thing going when the vice-principal doesn’t brown bag it. Kim Penland had a hot dog on the day we were there, and she didn’t even realize it was anti-biotic free, but she says, “That’s a good thing. That’s a real good thing.“

Tuesday and Wednesday nights on the CBS Evening News, Katie Couric goes in depth, exploring the impact on antibiotics in foods and how they get to the food supply. We asked other school districts around the Upstate and Western North Carolina if they serve anti-biotic free meat, and if parents should be concerned about the meat served in schools. The districts which responded to our inquiry, including Spartanburg and Asheville say their standards insure safety.

School District Responses:
Beth Palien, Student Nutrition Director, Asheville City Schools: “We have received USDA ground beef as well as beef patties. Any additional testing of these products by USDA to limit contamination would be a good thing for our students. We make sure we cook all our beef products to 165 degrees which is higher than the necessary 155 degrees to kill any unwanted contamination. I am also signed up for immediate notification by email from USDA about any recalls of USDA products. I don’t know about the use of any antibiotics in our meat products. I do know that Pet our milk supplier has said that there are not any antibiotics in the milk. “

Cindy Craig, RD, LD, Foodservice Director, Spartanburg County School District 4

1. How last week’s USDA announcement impacts our district:
Communicative ties with the SC Department of Education Office of Food and
Nutrition will involve an ongoing communication with schools and districts
regarding product recalls > already in place is the ICIX recall system used
as an alert now regarding any products being recalled through our suppliers.

2. Are we already in compliance with any of the initiatives from last week’s
article? Yes, we are currently training with the State Department of Educations
Office of Food and Nutrition Services for HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control
Point) which are safety measures for food that must meet certain criteria. The
plan is currently in effect. New materials are being developed and further
training has started.

3. Can they all be met? With continuous documentation and leadership within
our local and state Child Nutrition Programs. These criteria can be continually
analyzed and evaluated to make needed improvements.

4. Do you use antibiotic-free meat? Yes, some of our meat is in fact anti-
biotic free. It is important to note that the cost of these type products
could drive meal costs to any school district high. This cost would be passed
from the district to our customer (student). In comparison, these type products
could be looked at in the supermarket noting their expense. They are also
packed as “organic – free”.

5. Parents concern about meat served to students? Meats served to the students
in our district (Spartanburg #4) have manufacturer and vendor underwriting for
quality, satisfaction and guarantee. We uphold these standards.

Spartanburg School Districts 1-7:
Please see Chartwells comments below in response to your request. From Peggy Luther, District Manager – South Region

- Chartwells uses raw direct and processed USDA commodity ground beef at the discretion of the school districts. School districts that serve these commodities depend upon the USDA to ensure the safety of these products. Chartwells supports all USDA efforts to further improve the safety of foods provided as part of the National School Breakfast and Lunch programs.

- To mitigate any risk associated with consuming menu items that are made from raw beef, Chartwells strictly adheres to food safety operating standards that reflect regulatory requirements for final cooking temperatures. Additionally, we provide all associates with extensive food safety training. Associates are trained in safe food handling practices, including cleaning and sanitizing, proper receiving, food delivery inspections, storage, preparation, cooking/reheating, cooling, cold and hot holding and prevention of cross-contamination.

- Safety protocols and processes as it relates to our suppliers are constantly evolving their safety protocols and processes to reflect ongoing technology advancements and emerging concerns. We take the safety of our supply chain very seriously. We only partner with reputable and reliable suppliers that share our objective of superior product safety and quality. To ensure the highest of standards in regards to product safety and quality assurance, we have implemented a rigorous vendor certification process.

- In addition, our quality assurance department monitors recalls and other product safety issues 24/7. We have an internal protocol in place to immediately alert our business regarding recalled or suspected products so they can be removed from inventory and/or service without delay.