Can someone explain the beef recall to me?

[Kahns Krazy]

143 million pounds of beef have been recalled because the slaughterhouse in question has some animal cruelty issues, including moving cows with a forklift.


"We don't know how much product is out there right now. We don't think there is a health hazard, but we do have to take this action," said Dr. Dick Raymond, USDA Undersecretary for Food Safety.

In fact, they believe most of it has already been eaten, and no sickness has been tied to this beef.

While I am in favor of keeping things as humane as possible, the act of killing an animal, chopping and grinding it up, throwing it on a fire for a while then eating it isn't really the friendliest thing you can do to it. Do I really care if it was poked with a forklift before that?

Does it really do anyone any good to label food that has already been consumed by humans as "unfit for human consumption"?

I really, really don't get this move. I'd much rather see the cost of the recall levied on the company as a huge fine.

[PM Thor]

I think it has to do with the fact that they treated animals as poorly as they did, and in doing so might be an indicator of other areas in which they would cut corners.

It sounds like they couldn't find anything truly to pin on this company, and a "fine" wouldn't really be noticed by the regular public, but if they put out a recall that seems to get more attention, for whatever reason.

I agree with you though. In fact, it sounds rather arbitrary and kind of vindictive, because from now on, this meat company will have that label on it...

They should have just been fined.

[boozehound]

I agree that they probably should have just been fined. Personally I don't really care that much what they do to the cows as long as it won't make me sick. I love animals, and am not big on animal cruelty, but I love beef. Since the process for producing beef is inherently cruel I just don't overthink it and it doesn't bother me.

[Muskie]

Actually, i think it has more to do with the term "Downer Cows" (cows that cannot walk). These cows pose an added risk of mad cow disease, and therefore are not allowed into the food supply. The video seems to imply that Downer cow meat was being mixed in with regular meat, which is against the protocols.

[Kahns Krazy]

"Added risk" is a relative term. As far as I can tell, there have been 2 cases of bovine mad cow disease and no cases of transmission to humans in the United States. I am more likely to win the lottery twice in a row than catch mad cow disease in this country.

[Stonebreaker]

Here's the deal Kahn.........You are being recalled. Deal with it.

[Kahns Krazy]

I don't want to deal with it. Beef prices are already up like 100% in the last few years. I can't imagine that attempting to pull 143 million pounds of beef off the market, along with the associated costs, will do anything except drive ground beef over $3 per pound.

If you like your Quatburger cheap, you should be against it too.

(Oh, and there is very little actual beef most Kahn's products, so I'm not to worried about myself.)

[Stonebreaker]

I hope your brothers and sisters will be ok. I'm not liking the recall at all, but safety first. In '95, I ate at a fast food place (I never went there before), and hours later heard about people dying from their burgers.
I was a very unhappy cow-eater that day.

Plus....you can always 'Eat more chikin'.

[Kahns Krazy]

I hope your brothers and sisters will be ok. I'm not liking the recall at all, but safety first. In '95, I ate at a fast food place (I never went there before), and hours later heard about people dying from their burgers.
I was a very unhappy cow-eater that day.

Plus....you can always 'Eat more chikin'.

Oooh oooh oooh. I love Chick-Fil-A. I could eat it 6 days a week.

[X-band '01]

Count me in as one who would rather go to a chicken place (KFC, Popeye's, Bojangles, Zaxby's, Church's, Chick-Fil-A) than a generic fast-food place.

[xuirish]

I just had some delicious chili filled with ground beef and I feel fine.

[Stonebreaker]

I had a big 'ol sonic chilidog thing......it wuz good!

[Kahns Krazy]

Count me in as one who would rather go to a chicken place (KFC, Popeye's, Bojangles, Zaxby's, Church's, Chick-Fil-A) than a generic fast-food place.

Just stay away from the uncooked side dishes. KFC's cole slaw is notorious.

Also, I have never heard of 2 of those.

[Fred Garvin]

The piece in today's paper made it sound significant that "downed" or impaired cattle are more likely to be wallowing in their feces. I've no idea if that has any scientific basis.

The entire thing seems kind of silly when they concede people would have already consumed these cows.

[xuirish]

hopefully they are downplaying the Mad Cow Disease factor

[PM Thor]

I had a Muskie Burger. I don't feel right.

[xuirish]

I had a Muskie Burger. I don't feel right.

BJ used some "Fromunda" cheese instead of Provolone.

[94GRAD]

BJ used some "Fromunda" cheese instead of Provolone.

I shredded some parmasean on your burger.

[waggy]

Just stay away from the uncooked side dishes. KFC's cole slaw is notorious.


Notorious for what?! I love that stuff.

:(

[Fireball]

I do like me a good burger...but I will take a good piece of chicken over it most any time.

[Fred Garvin]

All I know is that the Garvin Grill has been open the last couple nights. This has got to be the worst winter of cabin fever I can remember in some time. Can't wait for some Reds on the radio, for some dining alfresco, and hunitng some smallmouth in the LMR.

I suppose a national championship will hold me over.

[Kahns Krazy]

Notorious for what?! I love that stuff.

:(

There have been several cases of e.coli related to the cole slaw. This might have been a local phenomenon, and it appears that it was in the past. A quick google search turned up the story from 2000, but nothing since.

From a story about the 2000 outbreak:


SEATTLE, WA (May 11,2000): Today, Marler Clark, a Seattle law firm, and Cincinnati attorney, Maury Tepper, announced the filing of a lawsuit in Federal Court on behalf of Ohio resident Geraldine Johnson, who became infected with the deadly E. coli O157:H7 bacteria after consuming coleslaw at a Cincinnati, Ohio KFC in July 1999. Ms. Johnson was hospitalized for 30 days, while being treated for acute kidney failure. “Nearly everyday we hear about another case of E. coli, Salmonella, or Listeria tied to some food product. However, I have never seen a situation where the same product, and the same bacteria, caused two outbreaks at the same restaurant chain one year apart,” said attorney William Marler of Marler Clark. “It is frankly shocking that KFC did not move faster to assure its customers that lightening, in the form of E. coli, would not strike twice,” added Marler.

According to the Ohio State Department of Health, in late July 1999, a Cincinnati hospital reported 4 cases of E. coli O157:H7 in one week. By August 2, an additional 11 cases were confirmed in the Cincinnati area. Subsequent interviews of infected individuals found 11 out of 15 had been to KFC restaurants in 3 southwestern counties in the week prior to the onset of their illness. 12 cases were found to have identical genetic patterns in their E. coli O157 isolates. This pattern was recognized as the outbreak pattern. Case-control studies implicated KFC cole slaw as the vehicle. According to an Ohio Department of Health report, “Sanitarians visited the involved KFCs and found a number of deficiencies in the preparation of the cole slaw, such as inclusion of outer cabbage leaves, insufficient washing of cabbage, and use of unpeeled carrots in the cole slaw.”

[Stonebreaker]

Everytime we go to Myrtle Beach, the wife makes me stop off at Bojangles for chicken, biscuits, and sweet tea. WTF? LOL

[joebba]

The beef recall is designed to prevent this from happening to Ronald McDonald:

Ronald has mad cow disease! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ip_cEblGFiE&feature=related)

[joebba]

The beef recall is designed to prevent this from happening to Ronald McDonald:

Ronald has mad cow disease! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ip_cEblGFiE&feature=related)

Word has it this was the work of Tom Cruise!

LOL. LOL. HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA !

[X-band '01]

Everytime we go to Myrtle Beach, the wife makes me stop off at Bojangles for chicken, biscuits, and sweet tea. WTF? LOL

Sweet tea is a staple of any chicken place down South; I always look forward to one myself. I'd love to see it in more places up here.

Kahn's, I'm guessing that Zaxby's and Church's were the ones that went under your radar; they're restaurants that you'll only find down South (chain restaurants but not really fast-food like KFC).

[Kahns Krazy]

It was actually Bojangles. Church's used to have a local presence.