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February 18, 2008
SPECIAL ISSUE: Hallmark/Westland Beef Recall
The United States Department of Agriculture on Sunday announced a voluntary Class II recall of Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Company products as a precautionary measure, because the company did not follow all animal-handling regulations.
Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Co., a Chino, Calif., establishment, is voluntarily recalling approximately 143 million pounds of raw and frozen beef products. According to USDA's Federal State Inspection Service, the establishment did not consistently contact the FSIS public health veterinarian in situations in which cattle became non-ambulatory after passing ante-mortem inspection, which is not compliant with FSIS regulations.
No illnesses have been linked to the recalled meat, and USDA officials said the health threat is likely small. The recall includes beef products dating to Feb. 1, 2006 from the Westland/Hallmark Meat Co.
Following is the Cattlemen’s Beef Board statement regarding the recall, as well as supporting messages that should be helpful in talking to neighbors and reporters, and links to additional industry responses and information:
CATTLEMEN’S BEEF BOARD STATEMENT
By Dave Bateman, Oregon Illinois Beef Producer and Chairman, Cattlemen's Beef Board
Feb. 17, 2008
“A primary goal of the beef checkoff has been to build consumer confidence in our product. Throughout its history, the checkoff has funded beef safety and product research, educated consumers about the safety and nutritional attributes of beef, and has communicated producers’ humane treatment of their animals. The beef checkoff is already working actively to reassure our consumers that our beef supply is safe. We applaud state and federal actions to investigate and correct the situation it found in this single plant among the thousands that work every day to deliver our high-quality, nutritious and safe beef products to consumers in this country and around the world. The beef checkoff remains committed to doing what it can to maintain these high standards.”
CHECKOFF INFORMATION AND MESSAGES
- First and foremost, the Beef Checkoff has a team in place to provide updated information about the recall and its effect on consumers and producers alike.
- That team has been and continues to be on the front line to provide accurate information, based on facts and science rather than emotion, both to producers through state beef councils and to consumers through checkoff-funded Web sites and contact with regional, national and international media.
- USDA categorized the recall an animal-welfare measure, rather than a food-safety issue.
- The United States has multiple, interlocking safeguards at the processing plant aimed at keeping beef safe.
- The ban on non-ambulatory animals entering the food supply is one of many safety measures in the U.S. food system, but it is not the only step taken to ensure the safety of the beef supply.
- From stringent feeding guidelines to processing guidelines, there are multiple safety hurdles in the beef production chain before our product arrives at our grocery stores or restaurants.
- BSE is not a food safety concern because of significant interlocking safeguards that began in 1989.
- What happened at this plant DOES NOT mean kids were exposed to BSE.
- There are about 97 million cattle in this country. In the last 18 years, only three cases of BSE have been identified after widely testing of our herd. The fact is: This disease is not present to any significant extent in our cattle herd.
- USDA conducted an expanded BSE surveillance program that verified the risk of BSE in the U.S. cattle population is less than one case per 1 million cattle. (from June 2004 to August 2006, more than 759,000 cattle were tested)
- But even though this disease is extremely rare, the beef industry has taken all the steps necessary to make sure we produce beef in a way that this disease never enters the food chain.
- As beef producers, we have two expectations when our cattle leave our farms or ranches: that our animals are treated humanely and that every step is taken to produce safe beef.
- By law, every beef processing facility in the United States must follow humane handling procedures as outlined in the Humane Slaughter Act.
- Beef producers understand that animal care and raising cattle go hand-in-hand. The Beef Checkoff Program and other allied partners, educate producers on proper care of animals from farm to plate through such programs as the Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) certification program, which outlines the essential elements for cattle care on the farm.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION RESOURCES:
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