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Re: USDA recalls 143 million pounds of beef
LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Sunday ordered the recall of 143 million pounds of frozen beef from a Southern California slaughterhouse that is being investigated for mistreating cattle.
Officials said it was the largest beef recall in the United States, surpassing a 1999 ban of 35 million pounds of ready-to-eat meats.
The amount of beef -- 143 million pounds -- is roughly enough for two hamburgers for each man, woman and child in the United States.
The federal agency said the recall will affect beef products dating to February 1, 2006, that came from Chino-based Westland/Hallmark Meat Co., which supplies meat to the federal school lunch program and to some major fast-food chains.
Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer said his department has evidence that Westland did not routinely contact its veterinarian when cattle became non-ambulatory after passing inspection, violating health regulations.
"Because the cattle did not receive complete and proper inspection, Food Safety and Inspection Service has determined them to be unfit for human food and the company is conducting a recall," Schafer said in a statement.
A phone message left for Westland president Steve Mendell was not immediately returned.
Federal officials suspended operations at Westland/Hallmark after an undercover video surfaced showing crippled and sick animals being shoved with forklifts.
Two former employees were charged Friday with animal cruelty. No charges have been filed against Westland, but an investigation by federal authorities continues.
Authorities said the video showed workers kicking, shocking and otherwise abusing "downer" animals that were apparently too sick or injured to walk into the slaughterhouse. Some animals had water forced down their throats, San Bernardino County prosecutor Michael Ramos said.
No charges have been filed against Westland, but an investigation by federal authorities continues.
Officials estimate that about 37 million pounds of the recalled beef went to school programs, but they believe most of the meat probably has already been eaten. There have been no reported illnesses linked to the beef at any of the schools.
"We don't know how much product is out there right now. We don't think there is a health hazard, but we do have to take this action," said Dr. Dick Raymond, USDA Undersecretary for Food Safety.
Most of the beef was sent to distribution centers in bulk packages. The USDA said it will work with distributors to determine how much meat remains.
Federal regulations call for keeping downed cattle out of the food supply because they may pose a higher risk of contamination from E. coli, salmonella or mad cow disease because they typically wallow in feces and their immune systems are often weak.
About 150 school districts around the nation have stopped using ground beef from Hallmark Meat Packing Co., which is associated with Westland.
Jack in the Box, a San Diego-based company with restaurants in 18 states, told its meat suppliers not to use Hallmark until further notice, but it was unclear whether it had used any Hallmark meat. In-N-Out, an Irvine-based chain, also halted use of the Westland/Hallmark beef. Other chains such as McDonald's and Burger King said they do not buy beef from Westland.
Raymond countered a claim leveled by Humane Society President and CEO Wayne Pacelle, who said a USDA inspector was at the Westland plant for about two hours each day. USDA inspectors are there at slaughterhouses "continuously," Raymond said.
Federal lawmakers on Thursday had called for the Government Accountability Office to investigate the safety of meat in the National School Lunch Program.
Upon learning about the recall, some legislators criticized the USDA, saying the federal agency should conduct more thorough inspections to ensure tainted beef doesn't get to the public.
"Today marks the largest beef recall in U.S. history, and it involves the national school lunch program and other federal food and nutrition programs," said U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, chairman of the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. "This begs the question: how much longer will we continue to test our luck with weak enforcement of federal food safety regulations?"
Advocacy groups also weighed in, noting the problems at Westland wouldn't have been revealed had it not been for animal right activists.
"On the one hand, I'm glad that the recall is taking place. On the other, it's somewhat disturbing, given that obviously much of this food has already been eaten," said Jean Halloran, director of food policy initiatives at Consumers Union. "It's really closing the barn door after the cows left."
These products are subject to recall, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture:
'¢ Various weight boxes of WESTLAND MEAT CO., BURRITO FILLING MIX.
'¢ Various weight boxes of WESTLAND MEAT CO., PACKED FOR JACOBELLIES SAUSAGE CO., 74/26 GROUND BEEF.
'¢ Various weight boxes of WESTLAND MEAT CO., RAW GROUND BEEF MEATBALL MIX FOR FURTHER PROCESSING.
'¢ Various weight boxes of WESTLAND MEAT CO., COARSE GROUND BEEF 'FOR COOKING ONLY', FAT: 15%.
'¢ Various weight boxes of WESTLAND MEAT CO., COARSE GROUND BEEF 'FOR COOKING ONLY'.
'¢ Various weight boxes of WESTLAND MEAT CO., COARSE GROUND BEEF TO BE FURTHER PROCESSED INTO COOKED ITEMS, FAT: 15%.
'¢ Various weight boxes of WESTLAND MEAT CO., COARSE GROUND BEEF 85/15.
'¢ Various weight boxes of WESTLAND MEAT CO., COARSE GROUND BEEF 93/7.
'¢ Various weight boxes of WESTLAND MEAT CO., FINE GROUND BEEF 'FOR COOKING ONLY', FAT: 15%.
'¢ Various weight boxes of WESTLAND MEAT CO., FINE GROUND BEEF 'FOR COOKING ONLY'.
'¢ Various weight boxes of WESTLAND MEAT CO., 90 - 10% GROUND BEEF, 3/16 GRIND.
'¢ Various weight boxes of WESTLAND MEAT CO., GROUND BEEF 1 LB. PACKAGE, FAT: 15%.
'¢ Various weight boxes of WESTLAND MEAT CO., GROUND BEEF, FAT: 15%.
'¢ Various weight boxes of WESTLAND MEAT CO., RAW BONELESS BEEF TRIMMINGS, 'FOR COOKING ONLY'.
'¢ Various weight boxes of WESTLAND MEAT CO., RAW BONELESS BEEF, 'FOR COOKING ONLY'.
'¢ Various weight boxes of WESTLAND MEAT CO., BEEF GROUND 50/50% LEAN.
'¢ Various weight boxes of WESTLAND MEAT CO., BEEF GROUND 73/27% LEAN.
'¢ Various weight boxes of WESTLAND MEAT CO., BEEF GROUND 81/19% LEAN.
'¢ Various weight boxes of WESTLAND MEAT CO., BONELESS BEEF 90/10.
'¢ Various weight boxes of WESTLAND MEAT CO., GROUND PORK FOR FURTHER PROCESSING NOT TO EXCEED 30% FAT.
'¢ Various weight boxes of PACKED FOR: KING MEAT CO., BEEF TRI TIP.
'¢ Various weight boxes of PACKED FOR: KING MEAT CO., BEEF TOP SIRLOIN BUTT.
'¢ Various weight boxes of PACKED FOR: KING MEAT CO., BEEF STRIP SIRLOIN.
'¢ Various weight boxes of PACKED FOR: KING MEAT CO., BEEF RIB EYE LIP-ON.
'¢ Various weight boxes of PACKED FOR: KING MEAT CO., BEEF PISMO TENDERLOIN.
'¢ Various weight boxes of PACKED FOR: KING MEAT CO., BEEF O/S SKIRT.
'¢ Various weight boxes of PACKED FOR: KING MEAT CO., BEEF I/S SKIRT.
'¢ Various weight boxes of PACKED FOR: KING MEAT CO., BEEF FLANK STEAK.
'¢ Various weight boxes of PACKED FOR: KING MEAT CO., BEEF BOTTOM SIRLOIN FLAP.
'¢ Various weight boxes of PACKED FOR: KING MEAT CO., BEEF STRIP LOIN BONE-IN, FURTHER PROCESS 1X1.
'¢ Various weight boxes of PACKED FOR: KING MEAT CO., BEEF EXPORT RIB 2X2, FURTHER PROCESS.
'¢ Various weight boxes of REGAL brand USDA SELECT, BEEF RIBEYE ROLL LIP-ON.
'¢ Various weight boxes of REGAL brand USDA CHOICE OR HIGHER, BEEF RIBEYE ROLL LIP-ON.
'¢ Various weight boxes of REGAL brand USDA SELECT, BEEF PLATE, OUTSIDE SKIRT.
'¢ Various weight boxes of REGAL brand USDA CHOICE OR HIGHER, BEEF PLATE, OUTSIDE SKIRT.
'¢ Various weight boxes of REGAL brand USDA SELECT, BEEF PLATE, INSIDE SKIRT.
'¢ Various weight boxes of REGAL brand USDA CHOICE OR HIGHER, BEEF PLATE, INSIDE SKIRT.
'¢ Various weight boxes of REGAL brand USDA SELECT, BEEF LOIN, STRIP LOIN, BONELESS.
'¢ Various weight boxes of REGAL brand USDA CHOICE OR HIGHER, BEEF LOIN, STRIP LOIN, BONELESS.
'¢ Various weight boxes of REGAL brand USDA SELECT, BEEF LOIN, BOTTOM SIRLOIN BUTT, FLAP, BONELESS.
'¢ Various weight boxes of REGAL brand USDA CHOICE OR HIGHER, BEEF LOIN, BOTTOM SIRLOIN BUTT, FLAP, BONELESS.
'¢ Various weight boxes of REGAL brand USDA SELECT, BEEF LOIN, TOP SIRLOIN BUTT, BONELESS.
'¢ Various weight boxes of REGAL brand USDA CHOICE OR HIGHER, BEEF LOIN, TOP SIRLOIN BUTT, BONELESS.
'¢ Various weight boxes of REGAL brand USDA SELECT, BEEF LOIN, TENDERLOIN, FULL, SIDE MUSCLE ON, DEFATTED.
'¢ Various weight boxes of REGAL brand USDA CHOICE OR HIGHER, BEEF LOIN, TENDERLOIN, FULL, SIDE MUSCLE ON, DEFATTED.
'¢ Various weight boxes of REGAL brand USDA SELECT, BEEF FLANK STEAK.
'¢ Various weight boxes of REGAL brand USDA CHOICE OR HIGHER, BEEF FLANK STEAK.
'¢ Various weight boxes of REGAL brand USDA SELECT, BEEF, BOTTOM SIRLOIN BUTT TRITIP BONELESS.
'¢ Various weight boxes of REGAL brand USDA CHOICE OR HIGHER, BEEF, BOTTOM SIRLOIN BUTT TRI TIP BONELESS.
'¢ Various weight boxes of HALLMARK MEAT PACKING BEEF LIVERS.
'¢ Various weight boxes of HALLMARK MEAT PACKING BEEF FEET.
'¢ Various weight boxes of HALLMARK MEAT PACKING BEEF TRIPE.
'¢ Various weight boxes of HALLMARK MEAT PACKING BEEF REGULAR TRIPE.
'¢ Various weight boxes of HALLMARK MEAT PACKING BEEF HONEYCOMB TRIPE.
'¢ Various weight boxes of HALLMARK MEAT PACKING BEEF TAILS.
'¢ Various weight boxes of HALLMARK MEAT PACKING BEEF CHEEK MEAT.
'¢ Various weight boxes of HALLMARK MEAT PACKING BEEF TONGUES.
'¢ Various weight boxes of HALLMARK MEAT PACKING BEEF TONGUE TRIMMINGS.
'¢ Various weight boxes of HALLMARK MEAT PACKING BEEF BONELESS.
'¢ Various weight boxes of HALLMARK MEAT PACKING BEEF RIBS.
'¢ Various weight boxes of HALLMARK MEAT PACKING BEEF HEARTS.
'¢ Various weight boxes of HALLMARK MEAT PACKING BEEF CHEEKS.
'¢ Various weight boxes of HALLMARK MEAT PACKING BEEF PLATES.
'¢ Various weight boxes of HALLMARK MEAT PACKING BEEF SMALL INTESTINES.
'¢ Various weight boxes of HALLMARK MEAT PACKING BEEF LIPS.
'¢ Various weight boxes of HALLMARK MEAT PACKING BEEF SPLEENS.
'¢ Various weight boxes of HALLMARK MEAT PACKING BEEF SALIVARY GLANDS, LYMPH NODES AND FAT [TONGUES].
'¢ Six-gallon containers of HALLMARK MEAT PACKING BEEF BILE.
'¢ One- and six-gallon containers of HALLMARK MEAT PACKING BEEF BLOOD, .2% SODIUM CITRATE ADDED.
- Gunslinger
- Rep: 88
Re: USDA recalls 143 million pounds of beef
Don't buy toys for kids, don't eat the fish due to mercury, don't eat the vegetation due to E Coli scares, don't eat the meat...yeah, we're getting pretty much fucked. Tofu anyone?
Re: USDA recalls 143 million pounds of beef
LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Sunday ordered the recall of 143 million pounds of frozen beef from a Southern California slaughterhouse that is being investigated for mistreating cattle.
I hate it when slaughterhouses dont kill cows nicely 
Re: USDA recalls 143 million pounds of beef
They found those Butterball turkey bastards sexually abusing the birds in the slaughterhouses. They'd have contests to see who could crush their skulls in the least amount of stomps. They were still alive. The more I find out about this shit, the more becoming a veggie man appeals to me. Zombie's got the right idea.
Re: USDA recalls 143 million pounds of beef
i dunno what kind of kinky shit you are into....but stomping heads isnt really what i'd call sexual
j/k but still i agree it is gross, but hey they kill animals for a living...its gotta mess with your head to hear the screams all day everyday of dying animals..those people should get massive vacation time...
i know there is a place near me called mapleleaf meats and they truck in pigs everyday..and i tell ya i worked next door to that factory one summer and the sight of them brining in the semis paked so tight with pigs that their skin was squeezing through the metal on the trailer....jsut made me feel ill to see, i didnt eat meat for about a month...then i got over it cuz
"mmm, bacon tastes good, porkchops taste gooooood"
"yeah? well sewer rat may taste like pumpkin pie but i would never know cuz i won't eat the filthy motherfucker"
haha gotta love pulp fiction 
in the end though, like i metioned earlier...they kill the animals...they breed them and kill them...the whole buisness screams inhumane now if some weirdos are fucking turkeys....well then they need psychiatric help
- A Private Eye
- Rep: 77
Re: USDA recalls 143 million pounds of beef
A truck carrying loads of pigs crashed near me the other day and set on fire, they couldn't get the pigs out so they had to shoot them all before they burned to death. The local news was saying how tragic it was and it was such a shame all the pigs had to be killed etc. I was thinking, well, where the fuck do you think the pigs were going anyway?
I suggested this to a friend who said they should have let the pigs burn, when I looked a bit puzzled they said 'just imagine how good it would smell' Twisted
- DoubleTalkingJive
- Rep: 74
Re: USDA recalls 143 million pounds of beef
My guess for this case is simply money. The cows were sick and they didn't want to lose money over it and with that, to get them up the tortured and already sick animal to it's death.
I do think in the minds of alot of these workers is the animal is gonna die anyway and they torture them. I think it's terrible. I am not against meat eating but if I knew what companies were torturing animals before they died, I'd boycott and thank god for the rules that the USDA has set where that's concerned.
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