AMES, Iowa -- An Iowa State University Extension food safety expert says a large recall of beef from the federal school lunch program announced this week should not be a cause for major concern.
The recall of 143 million pounds of beef processed by Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Company of Chino, Calif., was announced Feb. 17 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Sam Beattie, assistant professor of food science and human nutrition at Iowa State University, has been working with ISU Extension nutrition and health field specialists to address questions they may receive from parents as a result of the recall.
Beattie said there is a remote probability (and in this case exceptionally remote) that consumption of the beef will result in illness. The specific issue is Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE). “The beef supply is safe and of all concerns BSE should be very, very low on the list,” he said.
The specific issue is that some slaughtered cattle did not receive a complete and proper inspection. The law specifically states that animals that become non-ambulatory after passing pre-slaughter inspection must be evaluated by a Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) veterinarian. The processing facility did not contact the FSIS veterinarian when these animals became unable to walk after they had passed pre-slaughter inspection. Because they were unable to evaluate these animals, FSIS has determined these cattle to be unfit for human consumption.
Because of the remote possibility for the presence of BSE in cattle that are unable to walk to slaughter, these animals are prohibited from the food supply, Beattie said. Further, tissues from these animals are tested for the presence of BSE. To date, more than 750,000 high risk animals have been tested with only two positives. The incidence of BSE is very low in the United States because of several important interlocking control measures. Beattie pointed out that the animals that are part of the recall passed one of these controls -- pre-slaughter inspection.
Parents or others with concerns about the recall can get additional information from ISU Extension nutrition and health field specialists, or by contacting Beattie at (515) 294-3357.
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