High bacteria levels found in packaged leafy greens

For the more than 31 million children who participate in the National School Lunch Program (N.S.L.P.), food safety help is on the way. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack on Feb. 4 announced several new initiatives to assure the safety and quality of food purchased by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the N.S.L.P. and other food and nutrition assistance programs.

"Nothing is more important than the health and well-being of our nation's school children," Mr. Vilsack said. "We must do everything we can to ensure that our kids are being served safe, high quality foods at school. Today's announcement demonstrates our commitment to constantly improving the safety and quality of foods purchased by U.S.D.A."

As part of the effort, five U.S.D.A. agencies have set forth initiatives geared toward raising the food safety standards and testing protocols in schools to be more in line with that of restaurants and food retailers