Topps Meat Shuts Down After Huge Beef Recall

AP   |  Jeffrey Gold   |   October 5, 2007 02:12 PM


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Topps Meat Co. on Friday said it was closing its business, six days after it was forced to issue the second-largest beef recall in U.S. history and 67 years after it first opened its doors.

On Sept. 25 Topps began recalling frozen hamburger patties that may have been contaminated with the E. coli bacteria strain O157:H7. The recall eventually ballooned to 21.7 million pounds of ground beef.

Thirty people in eight states had E. coli infections matching the strain found in the Topps patties, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. None have died.

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Hey EDDIE, JUSTICE THOMAS SAID THAT CUP OF LEMONADE YOU GAVE HIM HAS PUBIC HAIR IN IT...

huh?..... AND THAT IT TASTES LIKE PISS.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 10:30 PM on 10/07/2007

Hey EDDIE, THOSE SHIT-KABOBS READY YET????

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 10:17 PM on 10/07/2007

HEY YEAH, I'LL TAKE ONE OVER HERE,..... hah, just put it between several folds of toilet paper and some mustard.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 10:13 PM on 10/07/2007


HAMBOOGER ANYONE????????

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 10:11 PM on 10/07/2007

WHERE'S TH BEEF MY ASS BWAAAHHHHHAAAHAAHA

Nothin better for th' week end than to fire up the ol' charcoal grill, pop open a nicely chilled bottle of your favorite brew and then when those coals get melded in just right.... throw a couple well moulded turds on to smoke.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 10:00 PM on 10/07/2007

What is the percentage of COW SHIT to BEEF before it is called Contaminated?

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 08:34 PM on 10/07/2007

Hey, there is an easy fix for this problem....
just turn all that tainted meat over to CHUCK SCHUMER AND HE WILL STUFF IT INTO FANNIE MAE AND FREDDIE MAC along with all the other waste he off-loade in there last week.. COME ON CHUCKIE CHEESE SHUMER, you came through for WALL STREET and the bush banking policy....you can do this for the shitpacking industry.... you're a master at it.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 06:14 PM on 10/07/2007

SO WHAT NAME WILL THEY RE-OPEN UNDER AND START SHIPPING THEIR COW SHIT/ BEEF MIXTURE AGAIN?

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 07:52 PM on 10/06/2007

Yet another meat recall. The good news was it is "people" food. ;-)

I am wary of raw because of bacteria. It was in the news recently. 26 "million" pounds of hamburger recalled.

It took the USDA 18 days to conclude the meat was bad. A brief summary of this news at this link along with a bacterial study on raw diets for cats and dogs.

http://www.petmonologues.com/pet022207/?p=368

The meat recall prompted this post. I am hoping to find scientific content that supports raw but I doubt there is one.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 06:42 PM on 10/06/2007



Since the discovery of a mad-cow infected Holstein in Washington state, our public officials have been busy telling consumers that there is nothing to worry about. President Bush and Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman even made a point of serving beef at their holiday tables. But given how little we know about the scope of the contamination and the nature of the disease, such gestures are little more than acts of faith, not demonstrations of safety.
The evidence that could demonstrate the safety -- or absence thereof -- of U.S. beef is in large part not being revealed by U.S. officials, and in some cases isn't even being collected.

For starters, the Department of Agriculture -- a conflicted agency charged with simultaneously promoting the consumption of, and protecting consumers from, U.S. beef -- has yet to give us a transparent definition of what "safe" means when it comes to transmission of this brain-wasting disease, also known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), to humans.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 06:30 PM on 10/06/2007

Looks like contamination in meat is very common. How Come? Didnt Bu$h fire all the inspectors? He dont care about Amerikans health...

Minnesota meat firm recalls E.coli infected beef
by Keerat - May 12, 2007 -

A meat packing firm in Minnesota is recalling 117,500 pounds of beef shipped to eight different states in the U.S. Seven people, including five adults and two children, have contracted E.coli after consuming ground beef bought from Lunds and Byerly`s grocery stores.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture"s Food Safety and inspection Service, PM Beef Holdings LLC of Windom has voluntarily given the order for recalling the beef trim products sent to various distributors and retailers in Arizona, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin. The recall pertains to the beef trim produced on March 27th.

One of the chief culprits behind food borne diseases, Escherichia coli O157:H7 was first discovered in 1982.
It spreads through ground beef, bean sprouts and leafy vegetables. It is characterized by the symptoms of stomach cramps, dehydration and bloody diarrhea. The infection generally clears up in 5 to 10 days time. However serious infection is known to cause kidney failure and hemolytic uremic syndrome, a major cause of infant mortality.

The USDA in a release asked consumers to check with their local retailers to ensure that the products being recalled are not being stocked and sold. The Health Department said that any ground beef purchased after April 7th from a Lunds and Byerly`s store is to be discarded or returned to the store for fear of contamination with E.coli.

Certain recommendations have to be borne in mind by beef consumers to avoid falling victim to E.coli.

¢ Ground meat should be cooked at 160 degrees Fahrenheit to kill harmful bacteria.

¢ The meat should be cooked evenly from all sides.

¢ A thermometer should be used since colour is not a reliable indicator.



Last month only Richwood Meat Co, a California based company voluntarily recalled about 107,943 pounds of frozen ground beef products amid concerns of possible E.Coli contamination.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 06:26 PM on 10/06/2007

I don't know that much about lawsuits,but know that they're closed,can they be sued by the people who got sick? With all the little signing laws that Bush has put thru without anyone noticing,there may be something to say that after a plant closes,it is immune from lawsuits.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 12:27 PM on 10/06/2007

It is called a PRE-EMPTIVE BANKRUPTIZE.
In other words they grab all the cash and shut down and (claim they sell they business) but just Chnage the Name.
Re open in 30 days and start agian. Leaving Insruance Companies to pay out if they had any.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 01:46 PM on 10/06/2007



MAD COWBOY:
Plain Truth from the Cattle Rancher Who Won't Eat Meat

http://www.madcowboy.com/01_BookOV.000.html

Stop Mad Cowboy Disease

http://www.cafepress.com/madcowboy

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 06:46 PM on 10/06/2007

Sorry, should have been now that they're closed.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 12:27 PM on 10/06/2007

SO WHAT NAME WILL THEY RE-OPEN UNDER AND START SHIPPING THEIR COW SHIT/ BEEF MIXTURE AGAIN?

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 12:12 PM on 10/06/2007

Any other Baby Boomers recall mention of E. Coli during their childhood? Ordering beef steaks rare back then was merely a matter of personal taste. German families in the Upper Midwest routinely consumed raw ground beef.

Meat cutters were heavily unionized and wielded considerable power to negotiate fair wages, benefits and working conditions. Some high school graduates at the time considered working for a meat packing company as an alternative to college, since a single wage earner could provide a comfortable lifestyle for their spouse and children.

Since then, much of the meat packing industry has moved away from large population centers to areas where unionization is non-existent. Garden City (a misnomer is there ever was one), Kansas stands as a case in point. The industry now pays abysmal wages/benefits. Meat cutting has now become the most dangerous occupation in our country. Assembly lines continue to run faster and faster, forcing workers to cut corners in an effort to try to keep their jobs. The industry has become increasingly dependent upon illegal immigrant labor to keep their costs low and their profit margins high.

The result? In addition to the above, large recalls seem to now be a weekly occurrence. The federal government has reduced the number and ability of inspectors, creating gaping holes in our nation's food safety net.

The cost savings resulting from all these changes undoubtedly far outweighs (in a dollars and cents sense) any negative consequences from people becoming ill and/or dying. After all, how many people in this country want to pay higher prices or reduce their meat intake? They may grumble when they read such an article in the paper, but will then load up the family in the SUV to eat at the local fast food joint. After all, people aren't going to give up their hamburgers.

In the meantime, the food industry in this country will continue to enjoy record earnings, diverting a portion of their loot to finance politicians who will continue to protect their lard-laden backsides.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 03:28 AM on 10/06/2007

OH BOY, just when I thought I had seen it all here comes TOPPS!!! After sickening multiple people in multiple States and possibly facing zillion$ of dollars in litigation - not to mention the ultimate cost of the recall - they just walk away from the problem? "That's it, after 67+ years in business WE QUIT!" Who and what (entity) will the injured folks sue? If anyone wins what will they get as satisfaction for some lax putz poisoning them? How about some old meat grinders?

I sincerely hope that TOPPS had product liability insurance.

Disgusting!

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 11:30 PM on 10/05/2007

SO THATS HOW YOU INSPECT MEAT NOW.
Wait till someone get sick then inspect their samples back until you don't find any contaminated.
Good thing the public cooks it really good huh.
Exactly how much COW SHIT has to be in meat before you recall it.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 03:19 PM on 10/05/2007

I have a hot stock tip for you...guess what it is.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 03:14 PM on 10/05/2007
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