Not all schools were told of food recalls

WASHINGTON — Federal authorities failed to tell schools about recalls of potentially tainted peanut products and canned vegetables, and cafeterias may have unknowingly served them to children, the investigative arm of Congress reported Tuesday.

A Government Accountability Office probe found the Agriculture Department didn’t always make sure states and schools were notified promptly about recalled food distributed through the federal school lunch and breakfast programs, which serve 30 million students.

GAO reported Tuesday that it took as long as a week for states to figure out which products were recalled, and that schools may have served the suspect food to kids during that time.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said safety is of “utmost importance” and his department is working to build a better food safety system. And the Food and Drug Administration said it, too, was taking steps to ensure schools will be notified.

Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York on Tuesday introduced legislation in response to the report.

“Food items that are being pulled from grocery store shelves across the country are still being served to millions of school children,” Gillibrand said in a statement. “It’s wrong, it’s dangerous, and we need to take action.”