HUDS Affirms Quality of Meat Served in University Dining Halls Amid Unprecedented USDA Recall

A California company issued the largest recall of beef in U.S. history on Sunday, but Harvard University Dining Services (HUDS) has affirmed that the meat on students’ plates does not come from the same source as the potentially contaminated beef—37 million pounds of which was supplied to schools, according to The New York Times.

In an e-mailed statement, HUDS spokeswoman Crista Martin said the University purchases its beef from T.F. Kinnealey & Co., a local, family-owned meat distribution company. The recall of 143 million pounds of beef was issued by the Westland/Hallmark Meat Company in California.

An investigation by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) found that Westland/Hallmark did not enlist veterinary aid for cows that could not walk.

These weak cattle—known as “downer cows”—pose an added threat of transmission of mad cow disease.

HUDS, however, guaranteed yesterday the safety standards of the meat it serves.

“We use USDA requirements and rely on those inspections to ensure the quality, safety, and humane methods of slaughter for our meats,” Martin wrote. “All our beef products, for example, are ‘choice,’” the USDA’s designation for high-quality but relatively un-marbled beef.

An inspector from Harvard’s Environmental Health & Safety department visits HUDS premises regularly “to monitor our sanitation and safety and ensure that individuals are following established protocols,” according to Martin.

Companies like T.F. Kinnealey, she wrote, are specifically assigned a USDA inspector.

Maggie P. Healey, a sales representative for T.F. Kinnealey, said the company has no affiliation with Hallmark/Westland: “We do not buy any meat from them—never have, never will.”

Despite the rising cost of food, Martin said HUDS will not compromise quality.

“HUDS has not and will not change its quality specifications in an effort to save money,” she wrote.