Ground Beef Recall : Meat Oversight After E-coli Outbreak – A virulent strain of the e-coli virus has erupted, with three people falling ill. The cause was ground beef found to be from a Cargill plant in Wyalusing, Pa. Cargill Meat Solutions, a subsidiary of Minneapolis-based Cargill Inc. This strain is the first of it’s kind seen in the U.S., after outbreaks of this strain overseas.
The strain is much worse than what other strains have been, and around 8,500 pounds of ground beef have been recalled, with meat bought from BJ Wholesaler’s to be thrown out as soon as possible. The best before date in these product is 1st of July.
“In order to best prevent illnesses and deaths from dangerous E. coli in beef, our policies need to evolve to address a broader range of these pathogens,” said Dr. Elisabeth Hagen, under secretary of the of food safety at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. She was given this position nine days before the start of the outbreak, which leaves us wondering if the authorities knew the chances of this happening.
According to industry officials, the tests aren’t widely available for this strain of e-coli, and even testing won’t do enough to stop outbreaks.
“Testing doesn’t make food safe in and of itself. You have to have some preventive measures in place,” said James H. Hodges, the trade group’s executive vice president.