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  • A good reason to become a vegetarian

    http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5i...bl9SAD8USBB880

    USDA Makes Nation's Largest Beef Recall

    By GREG RISLING – 1 hour ago

    LOS ANGELES (AP) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Sunday recalled 143 million pounds of frozen beef from a California slaughterhouse, the subject of an animal-abuse investigation, that provided meat to school lunch programs.

    Officials said it was the largest beef recall in the United States, surpassing a 1999 ban of 35 million pounds of ready-to-eat meats. No illnesses have been linked to the newly recalled meat, and officials said the health threat was likely small.

    The recall will affect beef products dating to Feb. 1, 2006, that came from Chino-based Westland/Hallmark Meat Co., the federal agency said.

    Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer said his department has evidence that Westland did not routinely contact its veterinarian when cattle became non-ambulatory after passing inspection, violating health regulations.

    "Because the cattle did not receive complete and proper inspection, Food Safety and Inspection Service has determined them to be unfit for human food and the company is conducting a recall," Schafer said in a statement.

    A phone message left for Westland president Steve Mendell was not immediately returned.

    Federal officials suspended operations at Westland/Hallmark after an undercover Humane Society video surfaced showing crippled and sick animals being shoved with forklifts.

    Two former employees were charged Friday. Five felony counts of animal cruelty and three misdemeanors were filed against a pen manager. Three misdemeanor counts — illegal movement of a non-ambulatory animal — were filed against an employee who worked under that manager. Both were fired.

    Authorities said the video showed workers kicking, shocking and otherwise abusing "downer" animals that were apparently too sick or injured to walk into the slaughterhouse. Some animals had water forced down their throats, San Bernardino County prosecutor Michael Ramos said.

    No charges have been filed against Westland, but an investigation by federal authorities continues.

    Officials estimate that about 37 million pounds of the recalled beef went to school programs, but they believe most of the meat probably has already been eaten.

    "We don't know how much product is out there right now. We don't think there is a health hazard, but we do have to take this action," said Dr. Dick Raymond, USDA Undersecretary for Food Safety.

    Most of the beef was sent to distribution centers in bulk packages. The USDA said it will work with distributors to determine how much meat remains.

    Federal regulations call for keeping downed cattle out of the food supply because they may pose a higher risk of contamination from E. coli, salmonella or mad cow disease because they typically wallow in feces and their immune systems are often weak.

    About 150 school districts around the nation have stopped using ground beef from Hallmark Meat Packing Co., which is associated with Westland. Two fast-food chains, Jack-In-the-Box and In-N-Out, said they would not use beef from Westland/Hallmark.

    Jack in the Box, a San Diego-based company with restaurants in 18 states, told its meat suppliers not to use Hallmark until further notice, but it was unclear whether it had used any Hallmark meat. In-N-Out, an Irvine-based chain, also halted use of the Westland/Hallmark beef. Other chains such as McDonald's and Burger King said they do not buy beef from Westland.

    Raymond countered a claim leveled by Humane Society President and CEO Wayne Pacelle, who said a USDA inspector was at the Westland plant for about two hours each day. USDA inspectors are there at slaughterhouses "continuously," Raymond said.

    Federal lawmakers on Thursday had called for the Government Accountability Office to investigate the safety of meat in the National School Lunch Program.

    Upon learning about the recall, some legislators criticized the USDA, saying the federal agency should conduct more thorough inspections to ensure tainted beef doesn't get to the public.

    "Today marks the largest beef recall in U.S. history, and it involves the national school lunch program and other federal food and nutrition programs," said U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, chairman of the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. "This begs the question: how much longer will we continue to test our luck with weak enforcement of federal food safety regulations?"

    Advocacy groups also weighed in, noting the problems at Westland wouldn't have been revealed had it not been for animal right activists.

    "On the one hand, I'm glad that the recall is taking place. On the other, it's somewhat disturbing, given that obviously much of this food has already been eaten," said Jean Halloran, director of food policy initiatives at Consumers Union. "It's really closing the barn door after the cows left."

    Associated Press writer Jacob Adelman contributed to this report.

  • #2
    Wow makes me glad I live in Wisconsin and only buy local meat. That is just absolutely crazy!

    Vegetarian in Wisconsin is almost the same as someone who doesn't drink beer. It exists but only in deep dark corners of basements that nobody speaks of! After beer, meat is the state product! Oh yea and dairy, but who's counting!
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    • #3
      Gulp. With my luck I go to one of those schools... Fortunately I've been eating chicken .

      Dan
      Chickens w/ Spruce Pro Primes

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      • #4
        15 years

        been vegetarian half my life..... and after i took 4 years of bio, micro, and virology courses, i convinced the ones i love to give up meat too.

        Try being a cajun who doesnt eat crawfish or andouille! Now thats tough.
        never be able to say you didn't try

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        • #5
          MMMMM MEAT!!!!


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          • #6
            CANDY BARS!
            SkiBoarding and Subaru STi's fo life

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            • #7
              i have to admit, that i do love meat, but i dont eat it very often.

              being a person who has worked on and been to many farms before, i have to say that a lot of what you see at PETA is the worse stuff, and not all places are like that. ussually those are the corporate farms. unfortunatly, the samll family farms who mostly do treat their animals with a lot of dignity, are fading away fast. ussually being bought over by corporations.
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              • #8
                Originally posted by Android9978
                CANDY BARS!

                ROLLINGONTHEFLOORLAUGHINGMYASSOFF


                that was was 2 good dude, props


                ya I'm in the same boat as Roussel, family farm and all I can't remember the last time my family bought meat at a supermarket
                Last edited by Kirk S; 02-20-2008, 06:11 PM.
                you never really don't realize it, you just quit caring...

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                • #9
                  Im one of those people that could bash cows heads in all day at the slaughterhouse, then go home and have a hamburger..


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                  • #10
                    I've worked at a beef slaughter/packing house before. What goes on there is disgusting and depressing. I've tried to go vegetarian in the past and have eventually gone back to eating meat. It's just too hard to resist at times, but I'm planning to give it another try or at least limit myself to chicken, turkey and fish.
                    Last edited by sempai; 02-21-2008, 02:40 PM.
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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by Manlenium
                      Im one of those people that could bash cows heads in all day at the slaughterhouse, then go home and have a hamburger..
                      there are names for people like that...what is it??? Can't think if it right now.

                      g

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                      • #12
                        Just because you switch to become a "vegetarian" does not mean you are eating any healthier. Vegetarians have health risks too.
                        "I may be big but Im fast"

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                        • #13
                          Originally posted by Greco
                          there are names for people like that...what is it??? Can't think if it right now.

                          g
                          Dave | Elevendy

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                          • #14
                            j/k of course it's Sadistic Personality Disorder
                            Dave | Elevendy

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                            • #15
                              I don't eat school lunches, or lunches at all for that matter.

                              wierd thing though, I am one of those guys that will call the aspca if I saw someone so much as kick a pet or let it go a few days without food, I absolutely hate animal cruelty and the thought of the death of anything, but I understand that humans are omnivores and can't survive at maximum potential if they don't eat meat. I have tried going green but I can't bring myself to do it just because the loss of protien to my body would cause substantial changes in the way my body reacts to exersise. I don't hunt and I don't kill, but you can, go ahead and eat that delicious royal red robbin burger and I'll enjoy one myself.
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