USDA inspectors: staff shortages imperil meat supply. The ranks of inspectors are so thin that slaughterhouse workers often figure out when "surprise" visits are about to take place, and make sure they are on their best behavior. [News Source]

Meat is a mystery to schools. After this week's largest-ever recall of beef -- nearly 50 million pounds of which went to schools nationwide -- officials are nervous about the quality of the U.S. Department of Agriculture food that they have no choice but to trust. [News Source]

Low staffing called threat to meat supply. Current and former USDA inspectors fear shortages let sick cows into the food supply. [News Source]

Some tainted meat used in school lunches, U.S. says. Days after the largest beef recall, the Agriculture Department said Thursday that more than a third of the contaminated meat had been used in federal nutrition programs, including school lunches. [News Source]

Beef industry presses for reduced recall. USDA officials said they are still tracing 15 million of the 143 million pounds of beef involved in the nation's largest-ever meat recall, but the meat industry appears to be pressing the agency to scale back the recall. [News Source]

Food inspectors say USDA short-handed. A shortage of slaughterhouse inspectors has weakened the federal food safety net, making it easier for sick animals to enter the food supply undetected, according to four current and former government inspectors. [News Source]

Inspectors say meat safety is threatened (USA Today) Sometimes, government inspectors responsible for examining slaughterhouse cattle for mad cow disease and other ills are so short-staffed that they find themselves peering down from catwalks at hundreds of animals at once, looking for such telltale signs as droopy ears, stumbling gait and facial paralysis. [News Source]

Inspectors: U.S. meat safety threatened (The Daily Review) LOS ANGELES — Sometimes, government inspectors responsible for examining slaughterhouse cattle for mad cow disease and other ills are so short-staffed that they find themselves peering down from catwalks at hundreds of animals at once, looking for such telltale signs as droopy ears, stumbling [News Source]

Inspectors: Staff shortages threaten safety of U.S. meat (The Argus) LOS ANGELES — Sometimes, government inspectors responsible for examining slaughterhouse cattle for mad cow disease and other ills are so short-staffed that they find themselves peering down from catwalks at hundreds of animals at once, looking for such telltale signs as droopy ears, stumbling [News Source]

Cattle inspectors in short supply (San Gabriel Valley Tribune) LOS ANGELES - Sometimes, government inspectors responsible for examining slaughterhouse cattle for mad cow disease and other ills are so short-staffed that they find themselves peering down from catwalks at hundreds of animals at once, looking for such telltale signs as droopy ears, [News Source]