Parent anger over ‘quarantined’ burgers

PRINCIPALS in the Dungannon District were not informed of the Southern Education and Library Board’s decision to ‘quarantine’ frozen burgers last month, it has emerged.

The SELB confirmed that it withdrew all fresh and frozen burgers from school menus immediately following the news in mid-January that horsemeat had been found in some processed beef products.

Canteen staff at Dungannon District schools were told to ‘quarantine’ frozen burgers after a company supplying schools instigated a full product recall.

The board said the contractor, Hendersons Food Service is launching a full product recall pending further assurances from the producer that there is no contamination of the products supplied.

However, it appears that no principals were informed by the board of the recall. According to a local secondary school principal contacted by the Tyrone Times, they only learned of the move last week.

The board has since confirmed burgers have been reintroduced in schools where the meat supplier had been checked out and their product confirmed to be beef.

“I had not received any direct information on this matter”, said one principal. “Fortunately, our head cook is very diligent and removed the burgers from the menu as soon as the scandal broke. Even though some of the suppliers have been checked out and confirmed to be beef, the burgers are still off the menu.”

Principals described how they have been approached by concerned parents, who are angry that they weren’t informed of the move last month.

“Obviously parents’ concerns should be addressed and they should have been informed of any issues with the food on school menus”, said the principal.

A spokesman for the SELB said the burgers were removed last month “pending clarification from suppliers of the status of their products”.

He added: “Burgers have been reinstated on school menus by SELB Catering Service following receipt of confirmation from suppliers that all meat supplied was from a bovine source.”

The education board could not confirm how many suppliers have been checked and how many schools have reintroduced burgers, but he stressed that in schools where they were back on the menu, all the relevant checks had been completed.

The other education board to withdraw burgers is the South Eastern Board which began taking frozen burgers off the menus on Wednesday.

Last month, Irish authorities discovered horsemeat in some burgers stocked by some UK supermarket chains.

Agriculture Minister Michelle O’Neill said 2012 had been an “exceptionally difficult year” for farmers and the horsemeat controversy was “therefore a very unwelcome development”.

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