USDA: Ground Beef and Canned Meat Recalls

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced three important recalls pertaining to ground beef and canned meat.

A Nebraska firm recalled ground beef and buffalo products due to possible E. coli O157:H7 contamination; a Georgia firm expanded its recall of canned meat products that may contain Clostridium botulinum; and a Michigan firm recalled ground beef products to due to possible E. coli O157:H7 contamination.

Custom Pack, Inc. in Hastings, Nebraska is voluntarily recalling approximately 5,920 pounds of ground beef and buffalo products due to possible E. coli O157:H7 contamination, the USDA reports.

To see a list of the products in the recall, please click here.

The ground beef products were produced between June 1 and June 13, 2007 and were distributed to restaurants and institutions in Nebraska. The ground buffalo patties were produced on June 7, 2007 and distributed to restaurants and institutions in Colorado. None of these products were sold through grocery stores.

Consumers and media with questions about the recall may contact company President David B. Dirks at 402.462.2532.

E. coli O157:H7 is a potentially deadly bacterium that can cause bloody diarrhea and dehydration. The very young, seniors and persons with compromised immune systems are the most susceptible to foodborne illness.

Georgia firm Castleberry's Food Company, owned by Bumble Bee Foods, LLC, is voluntarily expanding its July 19, 2007 recall of canned meat products that may contain Clostridium botulinum, reports the USDA.

Information gathered by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) led to the expanded recall; the organizations found that processing malfunction at the establishment have existed longer than initially estimated.

To see a list of the products Castleberry's is recalling, please click here.

The USDA advises consumers with any of these products to throw them away immediately. Cans should be doubled bagged in plastic bags. Consumers with questions about the recall should contact the company's Consumer Hotline at 888.203.8446.

And finally, Abbott's Meat Inc., a Flint, Michigan establishment, is voluntarily recalling approximately 26,669 pounds of ground beef products because they may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, according to the USDA.

For a list of products subject to the recall, please click here.

Each box also bears the establishment number "Est. 10215" inside the USDA mark of inspection.

As of July 21, 2007, no reports of illnesses associated with consumption of these products had been received. The ground beef products were produced between July 12 and July 20, 2007 and were distributed to hotels, restaurants and institutions in Michigan.

Consumers with questions about the recall may contact company HACCP Coordinator Pamela Glasco or company President Edward Abbott at 810.232.7128

Comments

[Jon]

So many things have been recalled lately. It makes me feel nervous to eat anything.

[Paul]

I hope I'm not alone, but I always find it really strange, sad and scary that these recalls take so long to take place. The Nebraska stuff was produced between June 1 and June 13! I always wonder how much of the contaminated food is eaten before the recall takes place. I suppose I don't have to worry too much, until restaurants start boasting "Now E. coli free" or "No Clostridium difficile here!" or even worse "Free azithromycin (or your favorite antibiotic) with every value meal."

I also recommend everyone should read "The Jungle" and "Fast Food Nation" as books that really open the eyes to the food industry in the US. I loved them both, even if I was not wanting to believe the things I read.

[Tim P.]

It is a scary thought that they did not realize the extent of the meat contamination at first. Since the meats were distributed and sold in June and July, I am surprised that no one has reported any illness. I agree with Jon about being nervous about eating food. I usually don't think twice about whether my food is contaminated or not. I assume since it is at the grocery store and I have properly prepared and cooked it, it is ok to eat, but I guess I should be more careful now.

[yellow ochre]

I know! Just the other day it was all the Matel toys with magnets and now meat. Maybe I'm just naive, but I don't understand what the big deal is with E. coli. Don't we already have this in our bodies? I think people need to start chewing their food more. Manufacturers must be going crazy about the safety and health concerns...

[Fern]

Food poisoning and beef recalls are always scary. I understand why some government agencies believe it is not practical or financially viable to test more animals slated to end up on our plates, but these contamination scares always sort of freak me out.

[Eli Hansen]

How does such a large portion of beef get released into the consumer market without having undergone a series of quality control tests? I can't believe bacterial contaminations still slip through the cracks. Fortunately, this one didn't result in sickness.

[WeddedBliss]

I think it is very disturbing that this continues to happen. I agree with Eli that we should expect quality control tests before the meat goes to market. Thank goodness I'm a vegetarian.

[Jefferey Buckley]

Be careful WeddedBliss, being a vegetarian doesn't exclude you from getting unpleasant surprises in your food. Mealworms in cereal, bacteria in veggies and animal byproducts where they say there aren't are a few things to watch out for. They also did a study in Israel that found too much consumption of soy, especially at an early age, is very unhealthy. So to anyone who eats food, be aware!

[Sally]

Ugh, I think that yes, we should be careful. But we shouldn't live in perpetual fear of what we eat or obsess about all the ways that our food, toys, etc. may be contaminated. Life happens. If you are a healthy person who lives a simple life, than even if you do eat contaminated meat or veggies, your body should be able to fight it off. However, if you live an unhealthy and excessive lifestyle, then yeah, I'd be scared too, but not so much about all of the harmful bacteria in your meat, but of all the fat, cholesterol, etc. in your meat. Meat consumption has gotten to the point where it is more often than not, unhealthy for both the consumer AND the environment. So don't be wasteful, have some (spinach-free if you feel so inclined) salad and eat a (pre-washed organic) apple.

[W Thomas]

To Tim P:

Sure, we have E. coli in our bodies, but when we overwhelm our bodies with too much of it, we can get very, very sick. Manufacturers SHOULD be going crazy with these health concerns; they put people at risk of serious, sometimes deadly illness. If you take the time to read about the shoddy processing practices that take place in many of these meat factories, you will not feel too sorry for the manufacturers. If you aren't a reader, see the movie "Fast Food Nation," which is based on a non-fiction book. It's an eye opener.

Since the meat manufacturers don't seem to care enough to practice sanitary processing of their meats (don't even get me going on the inhumane treatment of the livestock!), I suggest we all stop eating processed, packaged meat products all together... this will force the issue.

[Cassie]

I agree with Sally. For those of you who think they can avoid contaminated foods by avoiding meat, think again. People used to get sick all the time from consuming things like apple cider, which when farm-bought was often not pasteurized. Our produce is usually grown within the vicinity of animals, and if any animal waste is on the ground where an apple is harvested - that apple can carry animal-borne bacteria. Luckily, most things are pasteurized these days, but the risk is still there.

As much as I feel processing companies are responsible for the food they sell, we're also responsible for what we eat. We should always make sure to thoroughly wash and cook everything - and don't buy anything that isn't pasteurized!

[Dan]

This is just one more reason to be super careful about the foods you eat. With all the recent health scares and recalls, I've been only buying organic produce. I've also been buying my meat at an upscale grocery store. That way I can ask the person behind the counter where the meat is coming from. Sure it's more expensive, but it makes me feel a little better about the foods I'm eating.

[Josh]

Unfortunately, stories like this just don't surprise me anymore. Although I love the taste of meat, I almost never eat it because I know what goes into producing it. I've done a lot of research on how farm animals are treated and raised, and it has completely turned me off from eating meat.

Plus, you can decrease your ecological footprint immensely by not eating meat.

[dalz]

Do we need another reason to go vegetarian people? I'll take the meal worms in my granola over E.coli in my meat any day. Hey, at least it's edible protein!

My question is how the E.coli got into the meat without anyone at the processing plant knowing. I highly doubt that is was transfered via human route, which only leads me to refer to Fast Food Nation's author Eric Schlosser's detail of butchering plants that grind up spilled intestinal feces along with their "Grade A" meat. YUCK.

[D. Scully]

I wonder if it would be safer to eat meat that raised at local farms. On one hand, sick animals may be less likely to go unnoticed in a smaller farm operation. On the other hand, these farmers may not have the money to test beyond the federal minimum for bacteria and viruses that may cause illness in humans.

[Jess]

Personally, I'm more worried about all of the antibiotics and hormones that cattle are given. I read somewhere that young children were going through puberty at an earlier age because of all the hormones that were in the chicken they were eating. Scary stuff.