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DES MOINES, IOWA (AP) -- The Iowa Department of Education has told school districts to quit using beef products from two companies that may have processed ground beef from a California company accused of mistreating cattle.

This is in addition to thousands of other cases of beef the state put on hold last week due to the same circumstance.

Officials say "beef crumbles," or precooked beef, from Cincinnati-based Pierre Foods may have been sent to schools across Iowa as part of a federal commodities program.

Officials say six school districts have also been told to stop using beef crumbles from Advance Food Company of Enid, Oklahoma.

The companies may have processed meat supplied by Hallmark Meat Packing to the Westland Meat Company.

The Iowa action was in response to a USDA order, which barred any use of meat from the California slaughterhouse in federal food and nutrition programs. Federal officials say there was no immediate health risk, but the company could be in violation of rules that keep unhealthy animals out of the food supply.

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