E. coli loophole cited in recalls- Tainted meat can be sold if cooked (USDA)

[underpants]

Source: Chicago Tribune

WASHINGTON — One federal inspector calls it the "E. coli loophole." Another says, "Nobody would buy it if they knew."

The officials are referring to the little-discussed fact that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has deemed it acceptable for meat companies to cook and sell meat on which E. coli, a bacterium that can sicken and even kill humans, is found during processing.

"All the product that is E. coli positive, they put a 'cooking only' tag on it," said one inspector, who like other federal inspectors interviewed asked to remain anonymous for fear of losing their jobs. "They will test, and everything that's positive, they slap that label on."

"The government keeps putting out that we've reduced E. coli by 50 percent and all of that," said an inspector. "And we haven't done nothing. We've just covered it up."

Read more: http://www.chicagotribune.com/services/newspaper/printedition/sunday/chi-meat_bdnov11,0,3592273.story?coll=chi_about_custom_company_xpromo

[underpants]

1. School lunches --2.8 million pounds of cooked beef in 2006

School lunches
Some cooked beef products end up in the National School Lunch Program, which is administered by the USDA.

The agency bought 2.8 million pounds of cooked beef in 2006, according to USDA records.

USDA said in a statement that "procurement of ground beef and certain other products for distribution through the National School Lunch Program is governed by additional quality requirements," such as mandatory microbiological testing.

[underpants]

2. But the American Meat Institute's Huffman said that would be a waste of food.

Cargill declined to comment for this story. Another large meatpacking firm, Swift Foods Co., did not return phone calls seeking comment.

Some inspectors said that USDA should eliminate the "cook only" category to force companies to work harder to eliminate E. coli or face the prospect of destroying beef that can't pass inspection.

But the American Meat Institute's Huffman said that would be a waste of food.

"You're talking about throwing away a significant volume of product, which to any food safety person, that doesn't make sense because the product can still be put through a validated cooking process and be made safe," Huffman said. "A lot of food products right now are cooked."


nspectors interviewed for this story, however, challenged the suggestion that it's a small problem. One USDA inspector said a large meatpacking plant where he worked produced a half-million pounds a week of E. coli-positive beef that was tagged "cook only."

"It's a smoke screen," the inspector said. "The agency says, 'Look at all this testing.' They are still producing a half-million pounds a week of E. coli product, and we're patting them on their back."

[fed-up]

3. NO Comment??????? WTF??? How dare they NOT tell us what they are selling us??? nt

[Vanje]

4. School lunch: So it really IS shit on a shingle!

[lynnertic]

5. LOL very good!

[acmavm]

6. This is mind-boggling. I understand the part about waste, but I don't

understand the part about letting big meat processors sell a potentially deadly product with this government's blessing.

I just cannot process that info and make it come out anywhere near logical or reasonable. As in 'would a reasonable person find that selling meat that is bacterially tainted and potentially deadly not responsible for any death or damage caused by eating the same'?

[underpants]

8. Do you have any idea what prevention would do to the bottom line?

I mean they already paid good damned money to GET those administrators put into place so they don't have to do any prevention (read : good honest business) and hell they can sell bad meat instead of having to throw it away.

Basically it is a wealthbased food quality program. They are doing the poor a favor for crying out loud.

This is bizarre totally out of the question. Your outrage is well placed.

[unpossibles]

7. yet another reason why I stopped eating it. nt

[underpants]

9. Yeah we haven't bought meat anywhere but from a farm for a year now

God bless my wife for seeing this from way off.

Sorry I likey the cow :P

[Vinca]

10. Here's another mystery about ground beef, E. Coli and our idiot government.

Last week Hannafords recalled ground beef sold between October 11 and 31. I realize some people freeze it and may have some, but a whole lot of us have ALREADY EATEN THE STUFF. AAAARRRRRGGGGHHHHHH!

[Xipe Totec]

11. Now we're cooking with coli!

to paraphrase that old natural gas jingo.

[L0oniX]

12. Welcome to Booger King

[pattmarty]

13. Why am I not fucking surprised?

[Sam Ervin jret]

14. "Re-define "Food Poison like they want to "re-define" Privacy

I'm telling you with these quys words are weapons. if they say it's not bad meat it's not bad meat. If they say it's not torture. If they say privacy does not mean anonymity then it does not. The power in the words - Just PLAIN ORWELLIAN!!!

[underpants]

15. Yes it is

and Welcome to DU :hi: if'n I haven't before

[yellowcanine]

16. Shit happens. And that is way ecoli tainted meat should not be sold - regardless of how it is

labeled. All meat should be cooked but all meat doesn't get properly cooked. So there needs to be other safe guards as well.