LACA has no evidence to suggest that the school catering industry is knowingly sourcing or has accepted such meat for use in the preparation of school meals.
Education catering providers are subject to stringent procurement systems that include precise criteria for full transparency and traceability of all produce. With the health of children and young people of paramount importance, education caterers work closely with procurement and public health colleagues to maintain the highest quality standards for school food. However, the industry has not been made aware of this type of meat being considered safe for human consumption once passing Food Standards Agency (FSA) inspections or that it is allowed to enter unlabelled into the food chain, as it is deemed safe.
Education catering providers maintain strict codes of practice for the sourcing of produce and food preparation. Local Authority maintained schools are subject to robust Food Standards legislation which provide a safety net for both caterers and children in schools. These restrict the use of red meat, including processed meat products, on school menus and set concise food preparation procedures which include cooking guidance for all meat and meat products.
The majority of education catering providers prepare meals from raw ingredients but where prepared meals or processed meat are used, they are usually sourced from the larger, highly reputable and trusted education catering industry suppliers who must follow the same Food Standards regulations on content. Supplier contracts also require full transparency on ingredients used in prepared meals or processed meat products. In many cases, supplier specifications also call for producers to demonstrate compliance with various quality assurance accreditations such as Farm Assured and others. They also require foods to be supplied from approved food businesses that are monitored and audited by the regulatory bodies. Suppliers of high risk foods, including meat suppliers, are regularly subjected to further food safety inspections on a regular and random basis.
The safety of meat from TB positive cattle entering the human food supply chain is for the regulatory bodies such as the FSA to research and assess, for the Government to regulate and the public health authorities to monitor. This should include the provision of the correct advice and guidance, direct to each catering sector, on the safety of all produce. Notification by the FSA of any food it has determined could pose even the slightest risk to food safety or children’s health would result in education caterers ceasing its use on school menus with immediate effect. It should be noted that in this instance, the FSA has given no such advice directly to the education catering industry on the subject of either the use or non-use of meat from TB positive cattle for school meals on the basis that it is safe for all consumers to eat.
However, it is important to point out that with all the extensive safeguards in place for school food provision, combined with strict food preparation and cooking temperature controls, parents can continue to be reassured about the safety of meat used in school meals and have full confidence that school meals remain high quality.