Food Recalls

USDA begins to name retailers in meat recalls

The Bush administration will soon begin telling consumers whether the local groceries stores will bring contaminated meat or poultry. This decision is part of food safety policy and was announced on Friday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Still, even if the department announces food recalls or sources, doesn’t tell the beef buyers where the contaminated products have gone. The decision has been on the waiting line since February, when the Agriculture Department refused to make public the schools and stores that carried beef.

The change will apply only to recalls which involve a “reasonable probability of serious health consequences or death for those with weakened immune systems,” as the Agriculture Secretary Edward T. Schafer announced on Friday.

This new policy will take effect in 30 days and it’s not clear yet for lawmakers and food safety advocates. Still, the name of retailers won’t appear the next time a recall happens. It will take a few days to identify all of the retail outlets involved.

The change will also be available only in situations where the risk of people getting sick is higher, as the announcement comes after two serious beef recalls that began in June and lasted until July 4.

A Nebraska firm recalled almost 5 million pounds of beef suspected E. coli contamination. The same thing happened also to an Ohio retailer, who recalled an undetermined amount of beef products.

(Published by eNews 2.0 - july 15, 2008)