Students In Pittsburgh Public Schools Ate Recalled Beef

A spokeswoman for the Pittsburgh Public School District said that students consumed some of the recalled beef prior to a notification by a vendor on Feb. 1 to hold the products from Westland. The district immediately identified all lot numbers and those products were placed on hold.

West Penn Doctor John Acerra said the main symptom of E. coli is diarrhea and since it has been two weeks since students consumed the beef, if your child consumed it, he or she is likely safe.

So far, no one nationwide has gotten sick and the risk of anyone getting sick is extremely low.

Channel 11 checked with other schools around Pittsburgh. Officials from Penn Hills, Mt. Lebanon and Seneca Valley said their districts never received any of the recalled meat.

USDA Makes Nation's Largest Beef Recall

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is calling back 143 million pounds of frozen beef from a Southern California slaughterhouse that's being investigated for mistreating cattle.

The action tops a 1999 ban of 35 million pounds of ready-to-eat meats.

USDA says the recall will affect beef products dating to Feb. 1, 2006, that came from Westland/Hallmark Meat Company, based in Chino, Calif. The company supplies meat to the federal school lunch program and to some major fast-food chains.

Federal officials suspended operations at Westland/Hallmark after an undercover video surfaced showing crippled and sick animals being shoved with forklifts.

Two former employees have been charged with animal cruelty. No charges have been filed against Westland, but an investigation by federal authorities continues.

Federal regulations call for keeping downed cattle out of the food supply because they may pose a higher risk of contamination from E. coli, salmonella or mad cow disease.