"Thus, the products are adulterated, because they are unsound, unwholesome or otherwise are unfit for human food and must be removed from commerce," FSIS concluded.
The massive recall resulted in Nestlé voluntarily recalling a bunch of it's Philly Steak & Cheese variety of Hot Pockets.
On February 8th, FSIS updated it's official statement "to reflect that beef products associated with recall 13 were shipped to distribution centers and retail establishments in California, Florida, Illinois, Oregon, Texas and Washington."
Now the USDA is saying this diseased and unsound meat may have reached as far as 35 states and Guam.
Thousands of retailers have been added to a list of companies that could have received beef products from the producer, Rancho Feeding Corp., since the February recall, the USDA said.This is a Class I recall, which the USDA describes as, "This is a health hazard situation where there is a reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death."
"The retail list has been growing as more customers have been notified," USDA spokesman Adam Tarr told CNN Friday. "The list could expand."
The USDA will continue to update the list so that the affected products can be removed from commerce, he said. (source)
Even though the recall began in January with just 40,000 pounds, it's more than a little disconcerting that the government is just now announcing two months later that nearly 9 million pounds of this stuff is all over the country and could cause serious health consequences up to and including death.
By the government's own statements, this story probably isn't over yet.
Reader Comments
Factory farming is unhealthy for both man and beast.
processor which mostly dealt with high-end, grass-fed beef:
...“The USDA guy practically lives there. He has to be there whenever processing is going on,” said Smith. “If there was a sick cow that showed up, they would turn it away,” she added. “There should have been no recall,” she added, saying the media hype is not only unfair to Rancho, but to the many producers who now have to inform their customers of the recall affecting more than a year’s worth of meat.
...As to exactly what might have happened, Parks echoes other local producers who say the facility was clean, had a vet on staff to monitor the welfare of animals and was family-run operation with deep roots in the community. “These folks are family friends. This isn’t a factory farm, this is a local business,” said Parks. “Did they make mistakes? I’m sure that they did. Its’ impossible to wade through all the stuff the USDA requires.”
“It seems politically motivated. It seems like the USDA is saying to Rancho, ‘We want you out of business’,” said Parks.
...Producers say USDA inspectors were always present during processing at Rancho, leaving the question as to exactly what wasn’t inspected.
Rancho owner Jesse “Babe” Amaral has not spoken to reporters about the closure, but Smith, who said she has spoken at length to him, claims he doesn’t even know why the USDA is doing the recall and has not received any official documentation with details of the alleged transgressions and how they might be rectified.
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