Salisburied Steaks

Chris Carlson

A massive recall of 143 million pounds of beef from the Chino, Calif.-based Westland/Hallmark Meat Company, the bulk of which was provided to federal food and nutrition programs for school lunches, will result in the beef being disposed of in local landfills throughout the country.

The recall followed an investigation by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that discovered several workers at the meat company had abused many of the cows at the slaughterhouse. Federal regulations dictate that any school with more than 50 cases of the recalled meat must take them to a landfill or incinerator for disposal.

For example, the Seattle Times reported that the 920-acre Cedar Hill Regional Landfill expected to receive thousands of cases from several area school districts. A local waste official says the meat was kept in its boxes and mixed with other waste before it was buried in 15-foot layers, which were covered by 6 inches of dirt.