The group itself is an advocate of vegetarianism as the healthiest diet option. The study rated schools on the availability of varied, low-fat and vegetarian meals.
But "bad" and "best" are relative concepts. Groups who feed the poor criticized the study, noting that many children receive their only daily meal at school, and low-fat, vegetarian meals may not be the best diet for them.
The physicians group has also campaigned against drinking milk and ranked Los Angeles International Airport first in a study of healthful airport meals.
School officials suggested the study may have concentrated solely on the number of vegetarian meals served, without distinguishing between "healthy" and "vegetarian."
Water, fish, lettuce and other possible sources may have started the outbreak and no link has been confirmed with these or with beef, US or otherwise. US beef producers and exporters are launching an education campaign in Japan. Over $2.1 million in US beef exports were sold in Japan in 1995, up from $700 million in only 1987.
The 1993 Jack-in-the Box epidemic spurred even greater USDA inspection and sanitation procedures and according to many makes US beef safer than that of any country.
Though E. coli can survive both refrigeration and freezer storage, it is not heat resistant. Proper cooking completely destroys the bacteria. Burgers should be cooked at least to medium doneness (160 degrees F) no pink should remain in the center.