February 25, 2008

US beef industry requests government to scale back largest recall

US beef industry representatives asked the government to narrow the scope of its largest-ever meat recall, days after the recall was announced. 

This week, industry players and USDA officials discussed the possibility of excluding from the recalled beef those mixed with other suppliers' meat and sent to retail and wholesale customers.

However, it was not confirmed around how much meat such an exemption might involve.

About 20 US processors, agency officials reaffirmed on once call this week that all meat containing Hallmark/Westland products furnished to schools must be destroyed.

Yet on a separate call, the USDA said it would take a "different approach" for Hallmark/Westland meat that was mixed with other suppliers' meat and already sent to retail or wholesale customers.

The USDA announced yesterday that they are still tracing 15 million of the 143 million pounds of beef involved in the nation's biggest recall.

The agency said much of the recalled beef probably has been consumed. So far, there were no illnesses reported.

The recall, announced Sunday, came about three weeks after the Humane Society of the United States released an undercover video showing workers at Hallmark/Westland's Chino, California plant forcing sick or injured cows into slaughter by kicking them or ramming them with forklifts. Downer cows are generally banned from the food supply since they can be sources of mad-cow disease.