Area school districts are not affected by the recent beef recall involving a California company, mostly because there are so many other beef suppliers in the region.

The Lawrence school district’s supplier is U.S. Foodservice, which has an office in Topeka, and district administrators communicated by e-mail with company representatives Monday morning. The recall will not affect the district’s supply, said Paula Murrish, division director of food services.

Other area school districts, Eudora, Perry-Lecompton, McLouth, Oskaloosa and Tonganoxie, said they also do not use Westland Meat, which is the recall target. The recall affects 143 million pounds of beef that came from Westland’s Hallmark Meat Packing in Chino, Calif.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, about 37 million pounds of the meat went to school-lunch and other public nutrition programs. Law enforcement is investigating animal abuse at the California facility.

USDA officials have said that they believe the beef probably poses little risk to consumers and that most of it was likely consumed long ago.