Cargill Salmonella Infected Beef Recall 825,769 Pounds

Back in January Peter Kreitler blogged:

Quoting from a Cargill advertisement I am astounded by the hubris of the copy writers and the company who state in bold letters:

“WE ARE BRINGING RANCH QUALITY BEEF TO GROCERY STORES.”

Then in smaller type:“Supermarkets know that shoppers will judge the quality of an entire store with what they see in the fresh meat department. So savvy grocery chains have turned to Cargill’s branded beef programs to provide their fresh meat departments with products that bring back customers. This is how Cargill works with customers. – collaborate – create – succeed.”

If this is in fact how shoppers judge grocery stores then everybody in California and surrounding states will be on a hunger strike for a while.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced yesterday that a beef packing facility in Fresno, Calif., is recalling 825,769 pounds of ground beef products because they may be contaminated with an antibiotic- resistant form of the Salmonella bacteria. The recalled ground beef products produced by Beef Packers, Inc., "may be linked to an outbreak of salmonellosis" in Colorado. The company is recalling the ground beef it sent to Colorado, Arizona, Utah and sold in California, according to a USDA announcement.

Beef Packers Inc. is owned by Cargill Inc.

The USDA says this strain "is resistant to many commonly prescribed drugs, which can increase the risk of hospitalization or possible treatment failure in infected individuals," the USDA said. "The most common manifestations of salmonellosis are diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever within eight to 72 hours."

Possible treatment failure = death?

By the way, the USDA does not have the authority to impose recalls, recalls are all voluntary.