JBS Swift Beef Co. of Greeley, Colo., which operates a beef slaughter plant in Grand Island, expanded its voluntary beef recall over the weekend to include about 380,000 pounds of products because of possible E. coli contamination.
Last week, the company voluntarily recalled about 41,000 pounds of possibly contaminated product.
The whole muscle cuts subject to the recall were produced at JBS Swift Beef Co.’s facility in Greeley, Colo., on April 21, 2009, and distributed nationally and internationally.
The JBS Swift recall is part of an ongoing series of food recalls, Wenonah Hauter said on Monday. Hauter is executive director of Food and Water Watch, a consumer watchdog and food safety advocacy group.
The latest recall by the Brazilian-owned beef company shows the weaknesses in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s policy on E. coli, she said.
“This weekend’s announcement that the recall of beef products from a JBS Swift Beef Co. plant in Greeley, Colo., had been expanded is just the latest illustration of why USDA’s policies must be strengthened,” Hauter said.
According to the Associated Press, the USDA said an investigation by its Food Safety and Inspection Service of 24 illnesses in multiple states prompted the company to re-examine its food safety system. The department said 18 of the illnesses appear to have the same cause, and the company is conducting the recall “out of an abundance of caution.”
JBS Swift officials believe the contamination happened outside the Greeley, Colo., plant.
While the product was distributed as whole muscle cuts, some was likely further processed through trimming and grinding into ground beef by Swift’s customers, said Chandler Keys, a JBS Swift spokesman.
Keys said that, according to the USDA, some of that ground product might have been associated with illness.
Keys said it’s important for consumers to note that the recalled product from the date in question was sold by JBS Swift as whole muscle cuts, not ground beef.
“The ground beef that might have been associated with illness was produced by other companies, who often do not use the antimicrobial intervention steps we employ in our facility to reduce the risk of the beef products,” he said. “Nevertheless, we have agreed to expand our recall of whole muscle cuts out of an abundance of caution for consumers.”
Still, Hauter said the recall illustrates several “critical gaps” in USDA’s E. coli policy.
She said one of those gaps is product testing.
“The agency has said this recall was the result of its testing program,” Hauter said. “But a more robust testing program that covers more stages of production could have reduced the lag time between production and recall.”
During the two months that passed between the production of this batch of beef and when it was recalled, Hauter said, “the potentially dangerous product was distributed across the country to retailers and other processors who grind it into ground beef or use it in other products.”
“This makes an effective recall of the product unlikely and puts consumers at increased risk,” she said.
Hauter said the USDA currently treats E. coli 0157:H7 as an adulterant only in ground beef. She said the agency should designate it as an adulterant in beef at any stage of production to ensure that contamination is caught sooner.
The USDA announced last week red meat production was down 7 percent to 3.92 billion pounds in May, compared to 4.22 billion pounds produced in May 2008.
Beef production, at 2.18 billion pounds, was 8 percent below the previous year. Cattle slaughter totaled 2.85 million head, down 9 percent from May 2008. The average live weight was up 13 pounds from the previous year, at 1,264 pounds.
Nebraska was the nation’s leading red meat producer with 587 million pounds in May, down from 631 million pounds in May 2008. Commercial beef slaughter was 579,000 head in Nebraska, down from 652,300 head last May. Commercial hog slaughter was at 589,000 head in Nebraska.
Keys said each of the company’s customers will be “personally informed of this recall by phone.” In addition, he said each customer will receive a more detailed letter.
“We continue to work closely with the USDA to ensure that product is removed from the marketplace and the recall is completed successfully,” he said.
Keys said consumers who may be concerned about beef they purchased recently should contact their local retailer to determine if it is part of the recall.
Consumers with questions may contact the JBS Consumer Hotline at (800) 685-6328.
