Where’s the beef?

In keeping with the tainted food theme, it seems many have a beef with Nebraska Beef of Omaha. In June 2008 some 50 people were sickened by tainted ground beef from Nebraska Beef.

The product was recalled at the end of June, and soon after the company, as well as federal officials, claimed Nebraska Beef’s products were safe for consumers.

Unfortunately for the public, the company was wrong. In August the beef processor recalled some 1.2 million pounds of beef products after more people grew ill.

The first recall included only ground beef, but when the E. coli bacterium was discovered in other beef products, including prime cuts, the second recall came into play and covered products made on June 17, June 24, and July 8.

One of Nebraska Beef’s vendors is Whole Foods Market, which is known for offering organic and natural foods. On August 8 Whole Foods announced a recall for ground beef sold between June 2 and August 6.

On August 12 Whole Foods posted a lengthy article on its blog assuring its customers of the safety of products sold at Whole Foods and explaining the company’s policies and processes in teaming with suppliers.

For additional information, see this article in the New York Times.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 12th, 2008 at 8:26 pm and is filed under Public Safety. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.