Consumers Union: California Posts Names of Retailers That Carried
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 29, 2008
2:19 PM
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CONTACT: Consumers Union
Jean Halloran, 914.378.2457
Elisa Odabashian, 415.431.6747
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California Posts Names of Retailers That Carried
Recalled Beef
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YONKERS, NEW YORK AND SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - February 29 - Due to a California
law that was enacted last year, consumers in that
state now have access to a partial list of the names
of the retailers that received shipments from the
largest beef recall in history—143 million pounds from
Westland-Hallmark Meat Co. in Chino, California.
Consumers Union today urged the USDA to follow
California’s lead and release this information for all
50 states.
“USDA has a policy of keeping the names of retailers
of recalled meat secret, so this is a huge,
long-overdue victory for California consumers,” said
Jean Halloran, Director of Food Policy Initiatives at
Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer
Reports. “This recall is unprecedented in its size and
the numbers of retailers involved, and California
consumers now have a way of finding out ‘where’s the
beef.’”
The massive beef recall, announced February 17 and
covering a period of two years, involves beef that
went to thousands of markets, restaurants, school,
hotels, and institutions throughout the United States.
In addition, some big chains like Wal-Mart and Costco
have indicated that they received some of the recalled
meat. A partial list of the California retailers,
which is incomplete and will be updated periodically,
can be found on the California Department of Public
Health’s website at www.cdph.ca.gov.
Westland-Hallmark was caught on video by the Humane
Society improperly processing “downer” cows—those too
sick or injured to stand and walk to slaughter. USDA
outlaws the use of downer cows in the food supply
except when reviewed by a USDA veterinarian, as one of
the symptoms of mad cow disease is an inability to
stand or walk. “While most of the recalled meat has
already been consumed, and while the risk of exposure
to mad cow disease is low, the human form of the
disease is always fatal, so it is well worth taking
precautions with regards to beef that may be involved
in the recall,” said Elisa Odabashian, Director of the
West Coast Office of Consumers Union.
Consumers Union advises California consumers with beef
in their refrigerators and freezers that was purchased
prior to the February 17 recall day, to either check
the partial list of retailers at www.cdph.ca.gov and
return it to the retailer; confirm that the retailer
of their meat did or did not received shipments of the
recalled meat; or simply discard the meat. “Because
mad cow disease is believed to be transmitted through
certain organs and central nervous system tissue of an
infected cow, consumers may want to avoid eating
tripe, brain, tongue and any other central nervous
system meat,” Odabashian advised.
Because of USDA’s secrecy about the retailer names,
Consumers Union helped to pass a law in California in
2006 that required meat producers, distributors,
brokers, and processors to notify the California
Department of Public Health (CDPH) when products they
have handled are subject to a USDA recall. The CDPH is
authorized to share the retailer information with
local health officers, who are allowed to reveal the
names of the retailers to the public. Consumers Union
has urged USDA to disclose national retail outlets
carrying tainted beef. In March 2006, USDA proposed to
change its rules and disclose the names of retailers
involved in meat recalls, but has yet to take final
action.
“We are delighted that the California law is starting
to work and that California consumers now have some
measure of power to protect themselves and their
families in this huge beef recall,” said Odabashian.
“But recalled meat was shipped beyond California’s
borders, and because of USDA’s continuing secrecy
about the names of the retailers, consumers in other
states have no way of knowing if they purchased any of
the recalled beef.”
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