<b>By TIM THORNBERRY<br>
Kentucky Correspondent</b></p><p>

FRANKFORT, Ky. — The massive recall of beef from the Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Co. in Chino, Calif., has affected Kentucky, with approximately 17 school districts reporting having quantities of the beef product on hand. <br>
The Kentucky Department for Public Health (DPH) has issued an advisory pertaining to the recall to all 120 local health departments, the Kentucky Grocers Assoc., the Kentucky Restaurant Assoc., the Cabinet for Health and Family Services’ (CHFS) Office of Inspector General and the Kentucky Department of Agriculture (KDA).<br>

“We deal with many food recalls over the course of the year, but this one is larger than most,” said William Hacker, M.D., acting undersecretary for health at the CHFS and DPH commissioner. “We wanted to ensure that our citizens were aware of the recalled products.<br>

“Because this is a nationwide recall, we understand that some of the product could have been marketed in Kentucky. This recall is not a priority Class I recall, but there is some reason to believe that because proper inspections may not have taken place, the safety of the meat cannot be 100 percent assured.”<br>

According to DPH, the measure was taken to reduce the risk of potential exposure to consumers. No illnesses have been reported so far in connection to the recall.<br>

KDA and DPH are working with school systems to inform them about the recall and to ensure student safety.<br>

A release from KDA stated, “The recalled beef went directly from Hallmark/Westland to other processors to be processed into other products before going to Kentucky schools, according to the KDA’s Division of Food Distribution, which administers USDA food programs in Kentucky.”<br>

USDA awarded the contract to Hallmark/Westland to supply beef products for the School Lunch Program and other nutrition programs. At least 37 Indiana school districts also have more than 900 pounds of beef from Hallmark/Westland. The Jefferson County, Ky., school district had been doing business with companies that received beef from the California facility for about 18 months, but has located boxes of the product with the affected lot numbers and has had them destroyed.<br>

Cheryl Sturgeon, director of school and community nutrition services for Jefferson County Public Schools, said even smaller children had questions about the recall.<br>

“We did see a decline in the meals purchased the day the story broke,” Sturgeon explained.<br>

“We posted signs in the cafeterias that said we were not using the recalled meat, but even the second- and third-grade children were asking about it. It was a question on their minds.”<br>

Sturgeon also said no illnesses had been reported and the school system has a centralized distribution center for their food that records lot numbers in a databank for quick access to information about their food. “The system comes in handy if a child gets sick. We can send samples to a lab to be tested,” she said.<br>

Jefferson County had 1,221 cases of the product on hand at the time of the recall. Sturgeon said because it was USDA-donated beef, the system pays for processing only and will return information to the USDA in hopes of reimbursement for the product it had to destroy.<br>

The USDA said there is no immediate threat to the students and KDA has been in constant contact with Kentucky schools since the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service placed beef products from Hallmark/Westland on administrative hold and suspended Westland Meat as a supplier to USDA in January.