In what can only be described as a preemptive strike to smooth over a burgeoning controversy over purchases of meat from a Mexican source through a vendor, the Brownsville Independent School District has taken the highly unusual step of issuing a "all-is-well" posting on its website.
Already, social media (Erasmo Castro of Cheezmeh) has posted that the district has paid this particular vendor – Valco Foods LLC, in McAllen – more than $500,000
the company has been in business in the McAllen area since 2011 and are listed as packaged frozen food merchant wholesalers.
He also says that, despite the BISD preemptive post, the meat purchased in Mexico does not go through the customary United States Agriculture Department inspections. (Click on graphic to enlarge.)
According to a June 23, 2015, posting on the Region 1 Education Center, On May 20, 2015 the Region One Education Service Center Child Nutrition Program – South Texas Cooperative (CNP-STC) acting on behalf of its members (among them BISD), obtained thirty-three (33) proposals for Discounted Warehouse Proposal 15-04-12.
The directors approved the recommendations for award of Discounted Warehouse Proposal 15-04-12. This method of purchase allows Cooperative members the ability to purchase products and/or services not available through other procurement means. It also allows CNP-STC members the ability to order food and/or supplies directly from manufacturers without going through a third-party distributor. CNP-STC members are responsible for the selection of products available to meet the menu needs, nutrition goals, storage capabilities, and student preferences.
Valco Foods was approved to provide Region 1 member school districts with 20,000 pounds per month of shredded beef, barbacoa style, from July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2017 with 1 two‐year extension option. It is unknown how many pounds that Valco Foods delivered under the Region 1 contract have been bought by the BISD. If fullfilled, the company stands to make $3,019,200 over the 24 month period of deliveries to Region 1 member scholl districts. Do the Region 1 directors know that Valco has been using a Mexican processor to supply its schools with barbacoa?
Part of the award letter states that " Food and beverage items must meet the USDA Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act (HHFKA) of 2010 requirements and/or the USDA Smart Snacks in Schools Standards, as well as any additional requirements mandated by the Texas Department of Agriculture"
A BISD source tells us that staff at Food and Nutrition Service has seen numerous deliveries of the meat to the district food warehouse by vehicles with Mexican license plates.
The staffer also said that the meat delivered has at times gone bad and had to be thrown away.
The staffer also said that the meat delivered has at times gone bad and had to be thrown away.
In the BISD post, the administration said that a suspicious delivery of meat was discovered last November and that a batch of meat products for students and employees consumption "was not up to district standards was immediately recalled from all BISD cafeterias when several district and campus. FNS employees noticed that the product was defective and proactively reported their concerns. The product was returned to the vendor for full credit and the BISD has discontinued the purchase of meat products that are processed in Mexico."
The BISD post further states that "the product was raised and purchased in the United States from a USDA approved vendor but was processed in Mexico according to USDA guidelines and under the supervision of a USDA inspector."
Was it really the FNS employees who "proactively" reported their concerns, or was it kids in cafeterias who turned their noses up at the tainted meat?
Castro said that Region 1 informed him that the Valco Foods processor was not in the United States and that their products could not possibly be stamped or reviewed by the USDA.
This comment has raised red flags everywhere.
The post states that "it is allowable for any school food service department to purchase food processed outside the United States under certain USDA exceptions."
The question then becomes, did the BISD know that it was purchasing the beef barbacoa that was processed in Mexico. And how was it a USDA inspector came to be stationed there to inspect the food? Will the BISD produce the USDA document that provided the BISD "exception" to purchase meat processed in Mexico?
And are the USDA inspectors so inept that it took BISD FNS employees without any federal food-service training to detect the bad meat? Has this happened before?
Catstro also says that in his communications with Region 1, he has been told that since the processing took place in Mexico, their products were not stamped or reviewed by the USDA.
Sources tell us that FNS director Silverio Capistran is in hot water over this incident and that this is not the first time that they have known about Mexican processed meat being purchased by the district thorough the FNS. Could this be the straw that breaks Capistran's back?
Lately, the BISD has made Food Service the personnel warehouse of the district for employees who have fallen into disfavor with the administration and board majority.
Even though we don't know the full extend to the scandal, something is definitely rotten at the BISD and the FNS.
And if they do get rid of Capistran, where will they send him? To transportation, insurance, or finance?
The BISD post further states that "the product was raised and purchased in the United States from a USDA approved vendor but was processed in Mexico according to USDA guidelines and under the supervision of a USDA inspector."Was it really the FNS employees who "proactively" reported their concerns, or was it kids in cafeterias who turned their noses up at the tainted meat?
Castro said that Region 1 informed him that the Valco Foods processor was not in the United States and that their products could not possibly be stamped or reviewed by the USDA.
This comment has raised red flags everywhere.
The post states that "it is allowable for any school food service department to purchase food processed outside the United States under certain USDA exceptions."
The question then becomes, did the BISD know that it was purchasing the beef barbacoa that was processed in Mexico. And how was it a USDA inspector came to be stationed there to inspect the food? Will the BISD produce the USDA document that provided the BISD "exception" to purchase meat processed in Mexico?
And are the USDA inspectors so inept that it took BISD FNS employees without any federal food-service training to detect the bad meat? Has this happened before?
Catstro also says that in his communications with Region 1, he has been told that since the processing took place in Mexico, their products were not stamped or reviewed by the USDA.
Sources tell us that FNS director Silverio Capistran is in hot water over this incident and that this is not the first time that they have known about Mexican processed meat being purchased by the district thorough the FNS. Could this be the straw that breaks Capistran's back?
Lately, the BISD has made Food Service the personnel warehouse of the district for employees who have fallen into disfavor with the administration and board majority.
Even though we don't know the full extend to the scandal, something is definitely rotten at the BISD and the FNS.
And if they do get rid of Capistran, where will they send him? To transportation, insurance, or finance?
17 comments:
Oh my gawd! You horrible people who rule over BISD that are involved in this crap. How dare you put the children of Brownsville at risk. You all should be fired and impeached from your positions. For all you know it is horse meat being fed to our school children.
Disgusting cheap ass people purchasing meat from Mexico.
During the meetings they should be made to eat the meat the kids are served from Mexico.
It is time that board members are held personally liable including administrators. That is the only way this ongoing BS will stop.
You all had better pray no children come down with a food born disease.
The state and Feds need to investigate this horrible decision that put US children at serious risk so someone could get a kick back no doubt.
This has my blood boiling! Damn stupid people!
Tainted meat? Oh, that's why the students of the week were named Sam and Ella.
FWIW food service at BISD is a profit center. Don't think that is an accident. Profits over kids health and safety
Brownsville morons. You people are to stupid to realize you live in the 3rd. World. If this happened in a educated city, there would be heads rolling starting with the school board. You think that is bad? You should investigate the water sold to you by PUB. That is the real public health threat. Rest asured, your healthy communities advocate organization is busy out picking up cigarette butts. What a disgusting corrupt society you have.
Not only processed. It's being grown as well.
So a couple of questions... First doesn't region one have to approve the vendor in order for the district to begin purchasing from a vendor?
is no one taking into account that the district has 43,000 students to feed and that why 500,000 is nothing when you are talking about that many students?
Seems like they are just over sensationalizing something and looking for someone to blame.
BISD SHOULD FIRE THE PEOPLE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS THEY CAN'T PLAY DUMB THE LICENSE PLATES ON THE TRUCKS WERE FROM MEXICO,.THIS IS FKING BULLSHIT
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I am surprise that Rendon has not file a report with the Feds regarding this situation or has not indicated that he has discovered the lack of proper management of the Food Services Department regarding the tainted meat being processed in Mexico.
Of course the BISD food services is a cash cow. The food is awful, and the students have no choice of what they have to eat.....
Coach Joe has to get those football practice fields with artificial turf somehow.
Company from mcallen must belong to one of the board members compadre f*cking sad
No ego on one has no control over BISD.
I wonder if this is why a dietitian resigned.
Wa wa could be dog meat for all we know cuz jo no one is checking the vendors out, where the purcshing dept staff when u need them?
Since when is healthy food a priority in Brownsville? If you eat at any Chinese all you can eat restaurant, you are consuming much worse.
Must be why the need for more hospitals and doctors in demand in Texas. The question is "are these so called professionals involved in fulfilling the need for more hospitals to treat diseased that they themselves caused? One must follow the dots. After this disclosure anything is possible for a third world run community to make a profit. This is my opinion
Angered and saddened at the same time that Greed makes people not care about our children and their health! How dare they, if these vendors are good enough to feed our children, then they should serve all meals for board meetings and all other adult functions at BISD.
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