Just two months after USA Today reported that the quality of meat at fast-food chains is sometimes far better than the meat being served in public schools, the USDA is announcing new safety rules for school lunches.

USA Today reported on Thursday:

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced sweeping steps Thursday to "assure the safety and quality of food" purchased for the National School Lunch Program.

The measures include tightening requirements on companies that supply ground beef to schools, testing the beef more often and more thoroughly, and improving communications within the USDA to "identify potential food safety issues" before children get sick.

Here is the press release from the USDA: USDA announces food safety initiatives for school lunch and other food and nutrition assistance programs

Jen Eyer is on the Community Team at AnnArbor.com. She oversees the Parenting and Home & Garden sections, and writes feature stories, blog posts and opinion pieces. She can be reached at 734-623-2577 or jeneyer@annarbor.com.