Thursday, Jul. 02, 2009
Slaughterhouse Snafu
In February 2008, the Department of Agriculture recalled 143 million pounds of beef after a California slaughterhouse was accused of improperly butchering downer cattle (those too sick or feeble to walk to slaughter). Most of the meat had already been consumed by the time the recall got out. It was the largest meat recall in history and included cattle that had been slaughtered up to two years prior, starting Feb. 1, 2006. Thirty-seven million pounds of the recalled beef had gone to the National School Lunch Program, much of which was identified and removed. Remarkably, no injuries or illnesses were ever reported.