November  10, 2009 Chairman Miller Asks GAO to Investigate the Risk of Contaminated Beef in School Meals U.S. Representative George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, yesterday asked the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate the risk of contaminated beef from the commercial market entering the school meal programs.  Chairman Miller’s request was sparked by the several recent deadly outbreaks of E. coli that led to a recall of ground beef from major supermarkets and it would be part of an investigation GAO launched at his request last year into the safety of meat served in school cafeterias. “I write because I remain concerned about the safety of our nation’s food supply and whether there is an undue risk for food contaminated with dangerous pathogens to be unknowingly purchased by schools for use in the school meal programs,” wrote Miller, whose committee has jurisdiction over school nutrition programs.  Miller specifically asked that GAO compare the protocols and standards for ensuring the safety of foods made available to schools purchased through the federal commodity program to the protocols and standards for similar food purchased from the commercial market. The full text of Chairman Miller’s letter can be found at http://edlabor.house.gov/newsroom/2009/11/chairman-miller-asks-gao-to-ex.shtml. See also: CHHCS News Alert: Recommendations to Revise School Meal Standards Released by IOM CHHCS: School Health Links – Nutrition

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