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E Coli Supplier Remains Unnamed

Mike

Well-known member
Beef Supplier Remains Unidentified in Topps Recall
Submitted by Editor on Fri, 10/19/2007 - 2:01pm.


MICHELLE KUNJAPPU
Reporter

Topps Meat Company and USDA have not been releasing information about the original source of the beef in a recent major recall.

The beef recall that began Sept. 25 and expanded on Sept. 29 caused Topps Meat Company, LLC, to close its doors, said the Elizabeth, N.J.-based company earlier this month.

Topps voluntarily recalled a total of approximately 21.7 million pounds of frozen ground beef products because they may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, said USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).

Where the meat came from, or which country it came from, remains a question, since neither the USDA nor Topps Meat Company has come forth with the information, and neither organization returned Lancaster Farming’s phone call by press time.

Topps Meat Company was the largest U.S. manufacturer of frozen hamburgers, according to Anthony D’Urso, chief operating officer. The privately-held company, which employed 87 people, was founded in 1940 and was a manufacturer and supplier of branded frozen hamburgers and other meats for supermarkets and mass merchandisers, according to a statement issued by the company.

R-CALF USA (Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund, United Stockgrowers of America) wants to know why USDA refuses to reveal the source of the contaminated meat, according to Shae Dodson, communications coordinator for the Montana-based organization.

“Consumers deserve this information so they can make the appropriate choices for their families. We all deserve the right to know whether this recalled beef was imported or not,” she said.

According to Dodson, the recall emphasizes the need for country-of-origin labeling (COOL) to help ensure food safety.

“The fact is that food safety varies depending on where the food is produced because production standards differ from country to country,” she said. “The U.S. once required foreign meatpacking plants to meet standards identical to U.S. standards, but to facilitate imports into the U.S. this standard was relaxed in the ‘90s to allow beef imports into the U.S. provided the importing country maintained equivalent standards, which could well be different than standards in the United States.

“If this contaminated beef is of U.S. origin, that tells us that USDA needs to step up its prevention measures right here at home.”

The loss of one of the Northeast’s largest processing facilities has not made a difference at Cargill Meat Solutions, Wyalusing, according to Cargill. The plant’s 1,100 employees process 1,900 head of cattle per day, turning out 200 million pounds of ground beef annually.

“We haven’t seen any impact on our business whatsoever,” said Drew Wilkins, cattle procurement manager at Cargill Meat Solutions.

The beef slaughter facility did not supply Topps. “We’re waiting to see, too, who the supplier (to Topps) is,” said Wilkins.

“As far as how we were buying cattle this week, there were no effects whatsoever. It’s been a steady market within a penny or two.”

Although the grinding beef market remains steady, the top end steer market, however, may have been affected, as prices dipped last week.

According to the Center for Disease Control, (CDC), as of Oct. 9, 35 cases had E. coli infections matching the strain found in the Topps patties.

Ill persons reside in seven northeastern states and also Florida. The first reported illness began on July 5 and the last began on Sept. 23, 2007, said CDC.

Among 24 ill persons for whom hospitalization status is known, fifteen were hospitalized. No deaths have been reported. Topps is facing at least two lawsuits filed since the recall.

Find list of recalled products at www.toppsmeat.com.

According to USDA, ground beef patties should be cooked to a safe temperature of 160 degrees, as measured by an accurate meat thermometer.

When a ground beef patty is cooked to 160 degrees throughout, it can be safe and juicy, regardless of color, since, says USDA, color is not a reliable indicator that ground beef patties have been cooked to a temperature high enough to kill harmful bacteria such as E. coli.
 

PORKER

Well-known member
When a ground beef patty is cooked to 160 degrees throughout, it can be safe and juicy, regardless of color, since, says USDA, color is not a reliable indicator that ground beef patties have been cooked to a temperature high enough to kill harmful bacteria such as E. coli.

Now were hearing that 160 degrees throughout, Is Not Enough for Bacteria that are Mutant and changeing.
 

Tex

Well-known member
PORKER said:
When a ground beef patty is cooked to 160 degrees throughout, it can be safe and juicy, regardless of color, since, says USDA, color is not a reliable indicator that ground beef patties have been cooked to a temperature high enough to kill harmful bacteria such as E. coli.

Now were hearing that 160 degrees throughout, Is Not Enough for Bacteria that are Mutant and changeing.

The USDA is taking the line that cooking will save you because THEY CAN'T!!!
 

Sandhusker

Well-known member
Tex said:
PORKER said:
When a ground beef patty is cooked to 160 degrees throughout, it can be safe and juicy, regardless of color, since, says USDA, color is not a reliable indicator that ground beef patties have been cooked to a temperature high enough to kill harmful bacteria such as E. coli.

Now were hearing that 160 degrees throughout, Is Not Enough for Bacteria that are Mutant and changeing.

The USDA is taking the line that cooking will save you because THEY CAN'T!!!

They can, they won't.
 

PORKER

Well-known member
BUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nebraska Beef Sues Minnesota Church
Posted on October 29, 2007 by E. coli Attorney

Source of Article: http://www.marlerblog.com/

In one of the boldest, yet boneheaded, moves I have ever seen in 15 years of litigating E. coli O157:H7 cases, after we sued it, Nebraska Beef filed a third party complaint against the Salem Lutheran Church of Longville, Minnesota claiming, among other things:


That, upon information and belief, an environmental assessment of the church kitchen and food preparation procedures by the Minnesota Department of Health indicated that there was a high potential of cross-contamination between the ground beef [filled with pathogenic cow ****] and other foods during food preparation.



That, upon information and belief, the damages sustained by the Plaintiff, if any, [one died of E. coli-related complications, and one suffered acute kidney failure] are the direct and proximate result of the negligence and/or other fault for tortuous conduct of Third-Party Defendant Salem Lutheran Church.


We have the honor of representing several of the folks and families who were sickened and died in this needless outbreak caused by Nebraska Beef’s E. coli contaminated beef. In late July and early August 2006, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) received three E. coli O157:H7 stool isolates from residents of, and visitors to, Longville, Minnesota. Pulsed-field gel electrophoreses (PFGE) patterns for all three were indistinguishable, and the pattern had never been seen before in Minnesota. At the same time, MDH learned of an outbreak of gastrointestinal illnesses among members of the Salem Lutheran Church in Longville. The church had served meals on July 10 and 19, and multiple congregation members subsequently fell ill with cramps and bloody diarrhea.

The MDH opened an epidemiological and environmental health investigation of the three confirmed E. coli O157:H7 illnesses and the church outbreak. MDH obtained the member directory from the church and interviewed parishioners to obtain information concerning their attendance at church events along with a general food and activity history. In addition, an MDH sanitarian visited the Salem Lutheran Church to conduct an environmental assessment of the kitchen where the food for the July 19 meal had been prepared. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) contacted local grocery stores and restaurants to obtain information on the type and source of beef products involved.

MDA and MDH learned that ground beef used to make meatballs for the church meal, as well as the ground beef purchased by numerous area restaurants, where others were sickened, was purchased at Tabaka’s Supervalu. On July 17, members of the church had purchased 40 pounds of ground beef from the Supervalu. MDA conducted an on-site inspection at the store on August 7, 2006.

MDA conducted a traceback of the ground beef purchased at the Supervalu and used in the July 19 meal. The store had received approximately 1,900 pounds of chuck rolls from distributor, Interstate Meat on July 10. The majority of the chuck rolls were ground into ground beef at the Supervalu. The Supervalu sold ground beef from the July 10 shipment to three Longville restaurants in the same time period as the sale to church members.

The MDA traceback of the chuck rolls from Interstate Meat revealed that the source of the chuck rolls delivered to the Supervalu was the Nebraska Beef processing plant. In addition to this, the USDA reported that a sample of beef trimmings collected on June 14, 2006 at Nebraska Beef cultured positive for E. coli O157:H7, and that the isolate was indistinguishable by PFGE analysis to the outbreak strain.

Ultimately, MDH concluded that:

• “There was an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 infections among members of the Longville, Minnesota community.
• Ground beef from Tabaka’s Supervalu was the “source of E. coli O157:H7 for this outbreak.”
• “The isolation of the rare outbreak PFGE subtype of E. coli O157:H7 from a sample of beef trimmings from a USDA-inspected plant in the weeks prior to the outbreak suggests that the chuck rolls that were used to produce the ground beef at the store were likely already contaminated when received by the store.”
• “…records that were available from the Tabaka’s Supervalu and [Interstate Meat] suggested that the ultimate source of the implicated chuck rolls was [Nebraska Beef].

Nebraska Beef sues a church for serving its E. coli contaminated meat (that was also served in restaurants that people were sickened in too) - shame on you Nebraska Beef.

Full disclosure - I was an acolyte in a Lutheran Church growing up. Not only is there no legal reason for Nebraska Beef to sue the church in this instance - my mom (age 80) and dad (age 7 would have killed me if I had.
 

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