AUGUSTA – Many Maine schools have supplies of ground beef from Westland Meats, the subject of a recent national recall, but the state Department of Education said Wednesday the beef has been “on hold” in Maine schools since Jan. 31, more than two weeks before the official recall was issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Education Department spokesman David Connerty-Marin said the department was notified on the evening of Jan. 30 that there might be a problem with the beef and that schools should not serve it. The notice went out to all Maine schools the next morning. Schools that did not respond to the notification were called. Contact was confirmed with all schools to ensure they placed the beef on hold.

On Sunday, USDA ordered the Chino, Calif., company to recall beef as a safety precaution. Westland is a large supplier of beef to schools nationwide.

The health risk cited by USDA was “low,” and the citations of Westland were based on regulatory concerns, including the humane treatment of animals. The recall was issued as a safety precaution and not as the result of any illness or other health threat, the Education Department said in a press release.

USDA purchases beef and supplies it to state agencies, including schools. Maine diverts some of its supply to JTM, a company that processes the ground beef into patties. Schools also receive beef from other sources.

The Education Department is collecting data on the quantity of affected ground beef and patties in Maine schools. To date, the quantities on hold in school freezers reported by Maine school systems are: 433 40-pound cases of raw ground beef; 551 pounds of cooked and then frozen ground beef; and 244 cases (24.4 pounds per case) of JTM beef patties.

More than half of the state’s school systems have some of the product. The list of schools and the USDA recall notice may be checked at: www.maine.gov/education/sfs/usda.htm .

“Child safety is our number one priority in all aspects of education,” said Maine Education Commissioner Susan A. Gendron. “We are confident that the safety protocol in place before the recall worked quickly and effectively to keep the product from being served as soon as the department was notified by USDA of the hold.”

Schools and parents with questions may contact the department’s Child Nutrition Services food distribution program at 624-6878.