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Tag: Mad Cow Disease

  • Beef Recall: Over 4,000 Pounds Of Beef Recalled

    Fruitland American Meat, a company out of Missouri, has recalled over 4,000 pounds of ground beef out of fear that it may contain portions of nervous system that can carry properties related to bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease.

    Mad cow disease is fatal in cows and humans. It is contracted by eating tainted beef and can lead to a degenerative brain disease with symptoms that include rapidly progressive dementia, leading to memory loss, personality changes and hallucinations.

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture said that there is no indication that the meat being recalled has been tainted, but the company has chosen to issue the recall as a safety precaution.

    The beef was sold to stores in Connecticut and restaurants in New York City and Kansas City, Missouri.

    The USDA determined that the way the company judged the age of the cattle as they were slaughtering them could have led to the beef being tainted. In cows that are 30 months or older, the dorsal root ganglia within the nervous system have to be removed to prevent the disease from staying in the meat and being consumed.

    The company may have been inaccurate when judging the ages of some of the cows and left the ganglia in tact. These parts of the nervous system are where the prions that cause mad cow disease are most commonly found.

    There have not be any reports of mad cow disease symptoms from anyone who has consumed beef from the restaurants or stores where the beef was sold.

    The agency characterized the recall as a Class II recall, meaning there’s a “remote probability” of health problems associated with using the recalled product.

    The beef products that are included in the recall are, quartered beef carcasses stamped with the USDA mark of inspection and establishment number “EST. 2316,” and 80-lb. cases containing two cryovac packages of bone-in “Rain Crow Ranch Ribeye” bearing the establishment number “EST. 2316” inside the USDA mark of inspection with the following production dates printed on the box: 9/5/13, 9/10/13, 9/11/13, 9/26/13, 10/2/13, 10/3/2013, 11/8/13, 11/22/13, 12/17/13, 12/26/13, 12/27/13,1/16/14, 1/17/14, 1/23/14, 1/31/14, 2/13/14, 2/14/14, 2/21/14, 2/28/14, 3/8/14, 3/20/14, 4/4/14 or 4/25/14.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Hot Pockets Included In Massive Meat Recall

    If you thought you were safe eating these highly processed foods, namely Nestle’s Hot Pockets, think again.

    A massive meat recall of nearly 9 million pounds of beef from Rancho Feeding Corporation, has included in the recall, the Hot Pocket frozen meals that include an unspecified number of “Philly Steak” and its “Croissant Crust Philly Steak and Cheese” sandwiches.

    The USDA classified the recall as a Class 1, which is defined as “a health hazard situation where there is a reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death.”

    According to news officials, Mad Cow disease could be in the beef that has been recalled.

    Varied brands of frozen hamburger patties were also included in that recall, with meat that came from Rancho Feeding Corp., and were distributed to Wal-Mart stores in 16 states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming.

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service said that the huge recall at Rancho Feeding Corp. of Petaluma, Calif., occurred because the beef was processed from “diseased and unsound animals” and was “unfit for human consumption.”

    “The products are adulterated, because they are unsound, unwholesome or otherwise are unfit for human food and must be removed from commerce,” FSIS said in a news release.

    More than 1,000 companies in seven states are now recalling meat processed at Rancho’s plant: California, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington.

    The makers of Hot Pockets brand sandwiches, Nestle Corporation, said it reviewed its supply chain after the recall was announced and found that a small amount of meat from Rancho was used in Hot Pockets Philly Steak and Cheese in three different pack sizes and Croissant Crust Philly Steak and Cheese in the two pack box.

    The company said no other batches, sizes, multi-packs, or varieties of Hot Pockets were affected. The list of recalled brands can be found at The Press Democrat.

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service has issued a press release that gives detailed information for consumers.

    However if you have purchased any of these products, return it to the place of purchase for a full refund or contact Nestle Consumer Services at (800) 392-4057.

    As of today, no illnesses have been reported.

    Image via Nestle Corporation