March 16, 2012

Dear NCS Parents, Students and Staff,

As you may know, Newman Catholic Schools participates in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and receives food from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Products received directly through the USDA include beef, poultry, bulk and processed cheeses, vegetables, fruits, and grains.  

We are proud of the great work performed by our NCS food service staff and the high standards they maintain to assure our students enjoy a safe, nutritious and delicious school lunch. A good school lunch contributes to student learning.

Within the past week, social and news media has been abuzz regarding Lean, Finely, Textured Beef (LFTB), also dubbed "pink slime" and we wanted to take this opportunity to let you know where our school lunch program fits in this discussion. The USDA buys about 20% of the food served in school lunch programs nationwide. This year it contracted to buy 111.5 million pounds of ground beef for the NSLP. According to USDA standards for school lunches, the maximum allowable percentage of LFTB that may be formulated into single servings was 15 percent. This ratio is similar to the composition found in many ground beef products available in stores and restaurants.

We are pleased to announce that yesterday the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, the agency that oversees our school lunch program, issued the following statement:

"Earlier today, the USDA announced that states will now have a choice as part of the Federal School Nutrition program to order beef products with or without Lean Finely Textured Beef (LFTB). The DPI advocated for this change and (are) pleased with this announcement. We have made the decision today that we will only order beef products without LFTB in the future."

We are encouraged by this news and are comforted that our state standards for school lunches remain high. Please be assured that we make every effort to provide students and staff with great school lunches. If you have questions regarding this topic, please don't hesitate to contact Kerry Fehrman, NCS Food Service Coordinator.

In Christ's Service,

Kerry Fehrman, NCS School Food Service Coordinator

Dr. Jan Klosinski, President