ConAgra to Recycle Poop-Tainted Meat into Canned Chili and Pet Food

[Christa]

DAVID MIGOYA, DENVER POST: At least 68,000 pounds of
E. coli-tainted beef linked to an 18.6 million-pound recall by ConAgra
Beef Co. may turn up on dinner tables as ready-to-eat canned chili,
meat spaghetti sauce, beef ravioli or some other meal. Or, it might end
up as pet food. Or fertilizer. And no one has to tell you it's there.

A spokesman for the Greeley-based beef company said Thursday
that meat returned as a result of the nation's second-largest recall in
history will be cooked and turned into food for people or pets, or
nonfood products. Or both.

That consumers might buy a meal containing recalled meat is legal ---
and wholesome --- according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The federal agency must OK the company's plans for recalled meat.
Cooking recalled meat is common practice in the food industry.

"I think we can say any product that is cooked per the guidelines
established by the USDA and recommended by the Colorado
Department of Health is perfectly safe for human consumption and
to indicate otherwise is irresponsible," ConAgra spokesman Jim Herlihy said.

Consumers watching the ConAgra recall, however, may think differently.

"They're asking me to trust them again, and that's outrageous," said Lisa
Scannell of Longmont. Her five-year-old son, Alec Scholhamer, was
sickened last month after eating a hamburger made with ConAgra meat.
"They always blame people for not cooking the meat even though they're
the ones who put the E. coli there. I'm supposed to trust them now to cook
it, too?" A Colorado health official said recalled meat shouldn't end up as
human food again.

"By definition of the federal recall, it's not fit for human consumption,"
said Patti Klocker, assistant director of the Colorado Department of
Health and Environment Consumer Protection Division. "We recommend
that humans don't consume it and that it shouldn't be turned into something edible."

Herlihy said he did not know how much of the meat has already been
cooked or processed. He could not say if it will be sold to outside
companies or to ConAgra-owned businesses, or how much will become
nonfood products such as fertilizer and tallow.

"Cooking would render any pathogen harmless," he said. The USDA agrees.

http://www.organicconsumers.org/toxic/poop080702.cfm

[tj2001]

1. ""Cooking would render any pathogen harmless," he said. The USDA agrees"

Then, why didn't they cook it properly in the first place????
GEEEEEZ

[izquierdista]

4. That is indeed true

But Alec probably didn't want his hamburger very well done. He probably wanted it pink in the center, and mom erred on the side of E.coli. I can't really fault ConAgra, even though I'm a little repulsed at the thought of eating recycled meat. Then again, I'm a little repulsed at chitterlings, head cheese, calf fries, tripe soup, and most of the stuff Andrew Zimmern eats. But in a pinch, if I was really hungry, there's a lot of stuff I would eat, just make sure it was good and hot to kill off any pathogens.

The real culprit here is the set of practices that allow E. coli to flourish in slaughter houses and packing plants in the first place. Bleach and radiation are capable of bringing the bacteria count down to zero, but bleach costs time and money to apply, and irradiation with a gamma source is scary to the public (it also isn't free either). The only way to correct the situation is to do what was done 100 years ago after 'The Jungle' came out -- the government must force the meat packing industry to clean up their act.

[NOW tense]

5. Dupe... n/t

[Reeta77]

2. Disgusting...here's a list

of ConAgra products from Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ConAgra_brands):

* Act II - Microwave Popcorn
* Alexia - Appetizers, Artisan Breads, and Potato Products
* Andy Capp's fries - flavoured corn and potato snack made to look like French fries.
* Angela Mia - Tomato products and authentic Italian specialties
* Award Cuisine - Foodservice specialties that cross dayparts and temperature classes
* Banquet - Frozen chicken and ready-to-heat meals
* Big Mama Sausage - Snack-sized preserved sausages
* Blue Bonnet - Margarine and bread spreads
* Chef Boyardee - Ready-to-eat pasta meals
* ConAgra Mills - Multi-use flours
* Crunch 'n Munch - Glazed popcorn/nut mixture
* David Sunflower Seeds - Sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds
* Dennison's - Chili
* Eagle Mills with Ultragrain - All-Purpose Flour made with Ultragrain
* Egg Beaters - Processed egg product
* Fernando's - Mexican entrees and appetizers
* Fiddle Faddle - Glazed popcorn/nut mixture
* Fleischmann's - Bread spreads
* Gebhardt - Tex-Mex style foods
* Gilroy Foods & Flavors - Vegetables, garlic, onions, and capsicums
* Golden Cuisine - Ready-made food for seniors
* Gulden's - Mustard
* Healthy Choice - Ready-to-eat and prepared foods
* Hebrew National - Kosher sausages, cold cuts and condiments
* Hunt's - Canned tomato products, ketchup and barbecue sauce
* Hunt's Snack Pack Pudding - Shelf-stable pudding
* J. Hungerford Smith - Dessert ingredients for restaurants
* J.M. Swank - Food ingredient distributor
* Jiffy Pop - Popcorn
* Kid Cuisine - Prepared foods for children
* La Choy - Chinese-style foods
* Lamb Weston - Potato products
* Lamb Weston Inland Valley - Consumer sales of frozen potato products
* Lightlife - Vegetarian meat product substitutes
* Luck's - Canned baked beans
* Manwich - Canned sloppy Joe mix
* Margherita - Italian-style processed meats
* Marie Callender's - Frozen meals
* Move Over Butter - Margarine
* Orville Redenbacher's - Popcorn
* PAM - Spray cooking oils
* Parkay - Bread spreads
* Patio - Tex-Mex-style frozen meals
* Pemmican - Beef and turkey jerky
* Penrose - Pickled sausages
* Peter Pan - Peanut butter
* Poppycock - Premium Glazed popcorn/nut mixture
* Ranch Style - Baked and Refried beans
* Reddi-wip - Whipped cream
* Ro*tel - Canned tomato sauce
* Rosarita - Mexican - style foods
* Screaming Yellow Zonkers - Glazed popcorn (Discontinued)
* Slim Jim - Meat snacks
* Swiss Miss -Powdered cocoa for hot chocolate and pudding
* Squeez 'N Go - Prepared pudding
* The MAX - Pizzeria quality products for foodservice operators
* Van Camp's - Canned beans
* VH - Sauces (Available in Canada only)
* Vogel Popcorn - Popcorn
* Wesson - Cooking oils
* Wolf Brand Chili - Chili

[Christa]

3. Thanks for the list

I guess it's boycott time.

[NOW tense]

6. Snap into a Slim Jim....... n/t

[Echo In Light]

8. Thanks!

[Confusious]

9. Only two I buy are ACT II and rosarita refried beans

But I just learned how to cook beans, so I don't need Rosarita anymore. $1.50 for a pound or 2 of pinto beans, $1 for 20oz of rosarita. Hows that for $$$$PROFIT$$$$.

[Ghost in the Machine]

28. Where's the "$$$$PROFIT$$$$"?

You realize that 20oz of beans is 1 1/4 pound, right? 16oz = 1 pound. Sounds like they'd be losing money. Of course, Rosarita isn't paying $1.50/lb for dry beans. I'm sure they buy by the ton. Once you figure in the cost of maintaining a processing plant (power bills, water bills, mortgage, licenses, permits, equipment, labor, etc.), how much "profit" is the company really making?

You learned how to cook beans? That's great, and it'll help you in the long run, if you do your own canning and/or freezing.

Let's make some homemade refried beans:

1 lb dry pinto beans $1.50
1 small onion (finely diced) .75 cents
1 can fine diced tomatoes $1.09
1 1/2 cups hot lard

Wash beans and soak in a pot of water for 1 hour

Bring beans to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and cook for 2 hours

30 minutes before beans are done, heat lard in a small pan

When beans are done, drain most of the liquid, leaving just a small amount in the bottom of the pot.

Stir in diced/stewed tomatoes

Pour hot lard over the beans, then get out the mixer to stir up the beans, tomatoes & hot lard, approximately 5 to 10 minutes, until thickened.

Your beans are now ready to be served....


Considering the time, and energy, it takes, I think I'll keep on buying cans of refried beans when I need them... it's much easier (and cheaper) to open a can and heat them up.


Peace,

Ghost

[derby378]

15. Yikes!

Yes, if I have some meat that's a little old, I'll overcook it a little and eat it, and I haven't developed any health problems as a result, but this is irresponsibility at its worst.

Why isn't the Obama administration doing anything about this?!?

I'm avoiding ConAgra food products for the next year or so.

[FLAprogressive]

18. Because he appointed a Big Ag Shill for Department of Ag.

Change we can believe in.

[nc4bo]

19. It's those darned critical issues again.

Since when did the idea that foxes should stand guard over the henhouse ever prove to be a bright idea?

If we want change, we're going to have to work extremely hard to get it. The Corporate influence/contamination/infection in our government is strong.

[FLAprogressive]

21. Critical issues. Who needs 'em. Scoot on over to GD:P and look at the newest puppy picture thread.

And everything will be fine. Trust us. :P

[sakabatou]

20. *sigh*

My family and I use Hebrew National since we keep kosher.

[lies and propaganda]

23. they are EVERYWHERE!

i dont eat much of that minus the refried beans.. but even Snack packs!?!? they should be thrown in jaiL!

[dana_b]

27. remember the Banquet chicken pot pie recall??

salmonella. sounds like a real responsible company.:eyes:

[TK421]

30. I counted at least nine products on that list that I buy regularly...

looks like I have some decisions to make

[Echo In Light]

7. "That consumers might buy a meal containing recalled meat is legal ---

....and wholesome --- according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture."

How's that for instilling a sense of confidence?

[Cirque du So-What]

10. I thought this has been standard practice for some time

I recall hearing about a humongous recall of ground beef a few years back. The reclaimed meat was sold to processors for use in chili & other processed foods. I began a personal boycott of all canned meat products from that moment forward.

I don't want poop in my chili; I'm just funny that way.

[Shagbark Hickory]

11. I've been avoiding conagra brands for years

Con Agra food products are notorious for recalls and thus I have not buying ANY of them since the late 90's.

This is obviously a company that lobbies the conservatives for less regulation so they continue to make people sick.

The biggest disappointment of all is that HEBREW NATIONAL!!! The folks that 'answer to a higher authority' are packed or processed by con agra. These are supposed to be amongst the best quality hot dogs but I have stopped buying them since the con agra logo appeared on the packaging.

It's time to shut down these filth factories.

[stubtoe]

14. Oh No! Not Hebrew National!

Damn, the best hot dogs on earth.

Well, thanks for the heads-up on that.

[izquierdista]

16. Progress

I'm guessing that when they bought out Hebrew National, the kosher rabbis went out the front door and the pork snouts, ears, and tails came in the back door.

[Shagbark Hickory]

32. I don't know that they "own" hebrew natl. I think they just process & pack the food under contract

I don't know that they "own" hebrew natl. I think they just process & pack the food under contract but I could be wrong about that.

[Shagbark Hickory]

31. I get Boars Head dogs now

I think they actually taste better but they aren't kosher. Look in your deli section for them, not with the rest of the hot dogs. They're pretty affordable too... It's $5 for 1# of them (10 dogs)

[Badgerman]

12. It has, such products have been made of tainted meats for decades...the not so well informed

...once again gabble and squawk and run in circles about things there brains have refused to remember. They pay no attention to proper cooking methods, think nothing of buying a taco or hotdog from some scruffy street vendor, or worse a burrito that has lain under a warm lightbulb for 12 hrs in some Pakastani convenience store; Yet no amount of effort to inform them of the problems ever stay in their brains. There are times when sympathy for them wanes.

The contamination by insecticides and other petro-chem products are a far more pervasive and dangerous problem, and are for all practical purposes not checked for at all anymore, since the funds for inspectors has been cut to near zero in the past 15 or so years...actually the cuts began in the early Raygun years. and accelerated the past 8 years.

[Muttocracy]

13. Why is anyone suprised to find E. coli in ground meat?

Ignorance of microbiology, slaughterhouse realities, how meat is made, how common E. coli is...

[flvegan]

17. So many "shit"-ty things I could say here.

But I won't.

[malaise]

24. All I'll say is

Idiocracy rules.

[northernlights]

22. my dogs already feast on raw

horse poop and cat poop. Cooked e coli will be boring to them. Loses that zesty fragrance :rofl:

[uppityperson]

25. I find it amusing that this is from a place advocating organic foods

For instance, in my organic garden, I use composted POOP for fertilizer. Yes, you read that right. Manure from my chickens and any horse manure I can find. Looking for a source for llama manure also. And from my compost pile. POOP. Manure. Feces. Shit. All the same thing but different levels of social acceptability in the term. If you don't use chemicals, you use manure.

So I wash my veggies thoroughly, and peel any that will not be cooked. Same as you should do with store ones, whether organic or not.


Yes, cooking renders e-coli harmless so COOK your meat.

Steaks are usually healthier since they have less surface that can have harmful pathogens on it. Take a steak, or other piece of meat, grind it up and you have a brazillion tiny pieces with surface areas and it makes it MUCH more difficult to kill the surface pathogens.


As far as getting freaked out about how many products one company has, there are now only a few large parent companies that most products are controlled by. I don't like that, but it is how things are. The best way I found to avoid Mega-companies is to buy less processed foods.

[Shagbark Hickory]

33. well then hope you're in the mood for a couple weeks of uninterrupted violently explosive diarreah

[uppityperson]

34. Hey buddy! Not sure what you're talking about though

since been eating this way for many yrs, as have most of us organic gardeners

[Bigmack]

26. Good food...

Ya just gotta cook the shit out of it!

[roody]

29. It is a good day to be a vegetarian.