Audit: USDA Ignored E-Coli Warnings

[UpInArms]

http://abcnews.go.com/wire/Politics/ap20031003_213.html

WASHINGTON Oct. 3 — Meat inspectors repeatedly warned the Agriculture Department that ground beef at a ConAgra plant was contaminated with harmful bacteria months before a food-poisoning outbreak last year, but their concerns were ignored, an audit by the department's inspector general says.

According to the report obtained by The Associated Press, inspectors informed their managers at the department's Food Safety and Inspection Service that meat at the Greeley, Colo., plant was testing positive for E. coli, but "supervisors were not always responsive to the inspectors' concerns relating to increasing levels of fecal contamination and positive E. coli testing results," auditors wrote.

E. coli, a bacteria found in cattle feces, was a continuous problem at the plant from January 2001 until the summer of 2002, when ConAgra issued a recall for 19 million pounds of meat linked to the outbreak, said the audit, to be released Friday.

...more...

[demnan]

1. And now the Bush Administration brings you . . .

Shitgate!

[Nikia]

2. That's bad

I thought that meet plants were required to have a USDA inspector around at all times. I guess that isn't a requirement. It is a good idea though as a company is often interested in getting as much product out as possible and feels that it cannot be bothered to retest product and prevent contaminated product from going out. This is the attitude of many companies. Meat is especially suseptible to dangerous bacterial contamination because it is an ideal environment for bacteria. I hope that the company has learned its lesson. More importantly the USDA should keep better watch on this dangerous problem.

[tlcandie]

3. Clinton revisited ...

More leaks, info coming out to get eye off of *co...hold on to your hats I believe a hurricane is coming!

EDIT: Let me add this is disgusting n/m who was governing our nation at the time! 9/11 Ground Zero and CDC is another disgusting issue! It is time to take our country back! There is no truth anywhere to be found...how can anyone trust anyone anymore who governs our country? I just don't see how we can go back to the same-old-same-old state of US governance.

[TacticalPeek]

4. Clinton? Huh? I find no ref in the article to him or his admin.

The oldest date mentioned is Jan '01, the front door of our 'new world error'.

Not that the Big Dog's admin was without flaws. I just see no connection whatsoever between this article and Clinton.

Did I miss something?

:shrug: