DeLauro Applauds Tougher Food Safety Standards for School Lunch Program

Statement

Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (CT-3) released the following statement in response to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack's announcement today that the USDA has issued tougher new standards for ground beef purchased by the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) to be used in federal food and nutrition assistance programs, including the National School Lunch Program.

Specifically, the standards include the continuing zero tolerance policy for E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella, tightens testing protocols and critical limits, increases sampling frequency, and toughens rejection criteria for AMS purchased ground beef. Additionally, AMS will now reject any vendor designated by the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) as having a poor long-term safety record until a complete analysis can be completed.

"It is absolutely critical that strong food safety standards for school meals be among USDA's highest priorities. Today's announcement represents a positive first step toward protecting school kids from food-borne illness, but significant work remains to ensure the safety and quality of foods served in the school lunch program," said Congresswoman DeLauro. "I look forward to working with USDA to ensure that it has the adequate funding and leadership to implement these standards."

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