Any possibly tainted meat already in the landfill, officials assure.

Where’s the beef? Students in Santa Clarita Valley schools will be excited to hear that some of their favorite menu items, including spaghetti with meat sauce and the ever-popular hamburger, will be returning to lunchrooms on March 11.

Beef had been removed from the menu after it was discovered that the Santa Clarita Food Services Agency had received products containing meat from Westland/Hallmark Meat Co., a Chino slaughterhouse that was under federal investigation. The resulting investigation prompted the nation’s largest recall of meat, affecting more than 2,600 Southern California outlets, including more than 800 school districts.

Jane Crawford, director of food services for the agency, said that the commodities in question have already been removed from their shelves and sent to the landfill.

“We have five entrees a day on our menu,” Crawford said. “We just took the beef items off for awhile and increased the other items available. We already serve a lot of chicken and one of the favorite items are homemade pizzas we make here in our kitchens.”

When the investigation began, Crawford said the agency immediately sent memos to site administrators to keep them apprised of the situation, which at one point said that there would be no beef until further notice. With another supplier lined up, Crawford said that students will soon be enjoying beef entrees again.