"Anything since the first of the month has probably not been served," said Bill Clary, director of public relations for the Kentucky Department of Agriculture. "Anything before that has probably already been consumed."
The U.S. Department of Agriculture ordered the recall Sunday after undercover video showed crippled and sick animals being shoved with forklifts at the Chino, Calif.-based Westland/Hallmark Meat Co. The USDA recalled all beef products processed by the company since Feb. 1, 2006.
According to the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, a "small portion" of the 143 million pounds of beef was sent to at least 17 Kentucky school districts as part of the National School Lunch program and other nutrition programs.
Clary said the recalled beef went directly from the meat-packing plant to other processors before going to Kentucky schools.
In Clark County, local procedures for destroying contaminated food will be used, Musgrove said, since none of the sites had more than 50 cases of the beef.
The Associated Press reported Monday that no illnesses have been linked to the newly recalled meat, and officials said the health threat was likely small. About 150 school districts nationwide received the recalled beef.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer told the AP that his department has evidence that Westland did not routinely contact its veterinarian when sick and injured cattle became non-ambulatory after passing inspection, violating health regulations.
Federal regulations call for keeping downed cattle out of the food supply because they may pose a higher risk of contamination from E. coli, salmonella or mad cow disease since they typically wallow in feces and their immune systems are often weak.
"Because the cattle did not receive complete and proper inspection, Food Safety and Inspection Service has determined them to be unfit for human food, and the company is conducting a recall," Schafer said in a statement.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
