In the wake of a video released by Humane Society investigators (reported here on February 8th), the USDA today recalled 143 million pounds of beef processed at the slaughterhouse shown in the tape. The recall will affect beef produced since February 1st, 2006 by the Westland/Hallmark Meat Co. of Chino, California. It covers the past two years of the plant's output. The previous record-holder for recalled meat products was a quarter of that amount (35 million pounds in 1999.)
The Humane Society videotape showed so-called "downer" cattle (cows too sick to walk or stand) at Westland/Hallmark being forced upright by electric prods and forklifts. Despite such practices, the beef from these cows was rendered and shipped from the plant without intervention from USDA inspectors. Approximately 25% of the meat was destined for the National School Lunch Program. Spokespersons for the USDA admitted that most of the beef recalled today has likely already been consumed.
In an audio briefing held today, the agency's Undersecretary for Food Safety, Dr. Dick Raymond, took exception with a Humane Society claim that USDA inspectors were at the Westland/Hallmark plant for only two hours a day. Raymond declared that inspectors were on-site at the facility "continuously" (read a transcript here.) He also stated that the animals videotaped by the Humane Society were ambulatory and appeared healthy when they passed the FSIS (Food Safety and Inspection Service) ante-mortem, or pre-slaughter, inspection. He claimed that the "downer" symptoms shown on the tape only appeared afterwards, as the FSIS-approved cows moved from inspection areas into the slaughter facility. (Raymond noted that the USDA's policy is that once cattle have passed FSIS inspection, it is the slaughterhouse's responsibility to notify them if any animals exhibit sick behavior.)
Despite questions this raises about the effectiveness of its' screening procedures, the USDA today also issued a Q&A press release that includes the following:
Q. Has USDA increased its inspection procedures at other facilities since these allegations?
A. No. FSIS believes this to be an isolated incident of egregious violations to humane handling requirements and the prohibition of non-ambulatory disabled cattle from entering the food supply.
It is worth noting that although the Westfield/Hallmark plant was shut down well over a week ago, both Hallmark and the USDA waited until today—Sunday, on a three-day holiday weekend—to announce the most massive beef recall in American history.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Record-Setting Recall of Beef Follows Humane Society Video
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The effectiveness of the Humane Society's video (which triggered this recall) demonstrates how technology compels all citizens and organizations to be ever more diligent about complying with laws and regulations.
The LA Times had an article about the undercover humane society agent today.
He's a brave individual.
I think he should have kept even his vegan preference a secret though. I bet that tomorrow, every meatpacking plant in the country is going to insist that each of their employees eat a 100% ground chuck burger at "company lunches". Anybody who doesn't chew, swallow, and smile is going to be under suspicion.
UPDATE: From the San Bernardino County Press Enterprise, February 20th:
Congress will hold hearings next month to determine why an independent group, the Humane Society of the United States, rather than the U.S. Department of Agriculture, exposed mistreatment of cows at Hallmark Meat Packing and potential threats to the food supply.
The first hearing, scheduled for March 5, will consider the annual budget for the USDA's Food Safety Inspection Service, which oversees the inspection of slaughterhouses. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., called the responsibility to ensure food safety incompatible with the department's traditional role to promote U.S. beef products. She suggested the inspection service be removed from the Agriculture Department.
"The USDA's mission is blurred," said DeLauro, chairwoman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies.
UPDATE: From the Washington Post, Feb. 28th
Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer told Congress yesterday that he would not endorse an outright ban on "downer" cows entering the food supply or back stiffer penalties for regulatory violations by meat-processing plants in the wake of the largest beef recall in the nation's history...
The secretary announced interim steps such as more random inspections of slaughterhouses and more frequent unannounced audits of the nearly two dozen plants that process meat for federal school lunch programs.
But he deflected calls from Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.), the subcommittee chairman, for the government to ban all downer cows from the food supply, increase penalties for violators and require installation of 24-hour surveillance cameras in processing plants.
Absurdity Alert: The Washington post reported that the USDA refuses to disclose which retailers sold the meat that was recalled. What good is a recall if consumers don't know where the recalled meat was sold? A further absurd detail was disclosed at the end of the article: the plant that was closed had been given a "supplier of the year" award by the Agriculture department for 2004-2005.
Update: From the New York Times, March 27th:
Agriculture Department spokesman Chris Connelly confirmed Wednesday that the agency is weighing whether to make naming the stores mandatory only for so-called ''Class I'' recalls, which pose the greatest health hazard. The Chino recall was categorized as ''Class II'' because authorities determined there was minimal risk to human health.
Currently, the government discloses only a recall itself. It does not list which retailers might have received recalled meat. The same holds true for recalled vegetables.
Consumer groups and Democratic lawmakers contend that the public should have access to the names of retailers in all meat recalls. As originally written, the rule would have applied to all meat recalls.
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