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Problematic Meatpacker Source of Whole Foods Recall

On Friday, Whole Foods Market issued a recall of all ground beef sold under the Coleman Natural Foods brand name between June 2 and August 6.  Consumers who have Coleman beef bought at Whole Foods Market are urged to discard the contents and save either the packaging or the store receipt to get a refund.

Whole Foods Market carries meat purchased from Coleman, a company that has met the grocery chain’s exacting standards in the past.  Recently, however, Coleman had meat processed at Nebraska Beef in Omaha, one of the largest meatpacking companies in the nation although one with a very troubled past.  Coleman failed to notify Whole Foods that its ground beef was being processed by Nebraska Beef.

The Whole Foods’ recall is the second recall in two months  due to E. coli contamination in Nebraska Beef products.  Whole Foods is the largest retail grocer affected by the outbreak, which has made 31 people sick in 12 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada.

In June, five million pounds of meat was recalled after E. coli outbreaks in seven states were traced to Nebraska Beef.  Friday’s recall adds 1.2 million pounds of tainted meats linked to the same meatpacker.  These two recalls are just the latest events in a long history of safety violations attributed to the company.

Since 2002, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and  Nebraska Beef have been embroiled in an on-going series of safety and sanitation violations, legal action, and court orders that have resulted in two closings, more than $100,000 in fines and penalties paid, and dozens of citations issued.  Food safety advocates have voiced concerns about the lack of aggression the FDA seems to be taking in this case.

Equally troubling, perhaps, is the fact that Nebraska Beef is run by William Hughes, once a top-level executive at BeefAmerica, a Norfolk, Nebraska, meat-packing company forced into bankruptcy in 1998 when 600,000 pounds of meat was recalled due to contamination with fecal matter.  By the time BeefAmerica closed, Hughes was already involved with investors for Nebraska Beef.

Nebraska Beef has been issued 47 citations for violation of safety in the workplace, for which the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) levied fines in excess of $100,000.  The company has frequently drawn the ire of trade union activists over its safety and personnel policies.

Thus far, no cases of E. coli contamination in Whole Foods meat products has been identified.

Source: Washington Post

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