Earlier this year, Marc of Mental Masala reported in the Ethicurean that if you added up all of the meat that was recalled since 1994, it would comprise a line of 7,500 trucks stretching 85 miles.
In a single day, that fleet grew to 11,000 trucks stretching 125 miles. The USDA finally recalled meat from Westland/Hallmark, the California meatpacker whose efforts to help downer cows pass inspection would seem almost valiant if they weren’t so perverse. The total meat recalled in this one recall? 143 million pounds — nearly half of the meat that has been recalled since 1994.
We’ve talked about this before, in rhyme no less, but the more this whole situation unfolds, the more it seems sort of …absurdly…funny. Funny? Yeah, in a better-laugh-so-you-don’t-cry sort of way. Here’s why:
Laugh-so-you-don’t-cry fact #1: the USDA had a full-time veterinary medical officer assigned to the facility AND a full-time official from the USDA’s Grading Service in the operation to ensure that Westland/Hallmark complied with the USDA commodity program contract — and, hey, those guys never noticed a problem!
Laugh-so-you-don’t-cry fact #2: The Westland/Hallmark facility had 17 third party audits, 12 internal audits and weekly humane handling audits? And, hmm. None of those audits managed to catch this?
Laugh-so-you-don’t-cry fact #3: the USDA announced the recall midday Sunday of a holiday weekend. What an odd, low-profile time to issue a recall. It’s almost like they were hoping it wouldn’t be noticed. Maybe so, since most of the recalled meat had already been eaten.
Laugh-so-you-don’t-cry fact #4: After the news broke, despite all evidence to the contrary, Steve Mendell, Westland/Hallmark President and CEO, issued a statement saying “I proudly assure our customers that we comply with all USDA requirements, including the requirement that only ambulatory livestock may enter the harvest facility to be processed for human food. I am confident that we have met this high regulatory standard.” Um, Steve? Pal? I suggest you watch the video.
Laugh-so-you-don’t-cry fact #5: It took the New York Times sixteen days to bother covering this story. The news just didn’t appear until they posted an editorial on February 15. Other papers, like the Cincinnati Enquirer, took even longer to cover the story. And the Denver Post? Why it summed up the controversy as mere “bickering” between the cattle industry and animal rights groups (hey, guys? It’s our food supply).
Laugh-so-you-don’t-cry fact #6: Westland/Hallmark was honored by the USDA as a “supplier of the year” to the school lunch programs in 2004-2005. Go, fellas! Keep up the good work!
Laugh-so-you-don’t-cry fact #7: Why, it ain’t even news! KIRO-TV Seattle aired a report about downer cows entering the food supply as far back as 2002. And Elizabeth Weise at USA Today broke a similar story in 2004.
But the biggest laugh-so-you-don’t-cry fact? The Humane Society picked the Westland/Hallmark plant at random. Not based on any kind of identified risk assessment. Completely at random. Kinda’ makes you wonder how the other 6,200 facilities are doing.
In case all of that laughing — ha ha! HA FRICKIN’ HA HA HA! — makes your stomach hurt, consider buying beef from a local supplier, or making beef-free alternatives to your favorite meal. Like chili, for example. Vegetarian? Chicken? So many options. How about burgers? Try some homemade salmon burgers. And be sure to laugh while you cook! Laugh hard! Very hard!
Because otherwise you might just start sobbing and never stop.
I don’t eat red meat, but every time I see these recalls I say a prayer for all you carnivores. Scary scary stuff!!
OR you can just source your meat from a great farm like Polyface in Virginia….
MamaBird, you are so right. Just updated with that - and folks, you can check out localharvest.org to find your nice, responsible supplier. I’ve got more on that coming up!
I’ve been reading about this for weeks, because I am in the Agriculture Industry and I’ve purposely avoided the videos. I cried just reading about the fork lifts, I didn’t want to see it. But now that its is finally national news I can not get a ways from the videos on CNN.
Oh, when I heard this story on CNN that you blogged about 3 (!) weeks ago, it made me so upset. Seriously. I can’t believe it.
I’d add somewhere in there that the Humane Society video is from October 2007. That gave a little tickle in my throat.
I actually already but from my local farmers, but this one still makes me cry….sob…till my eyes are swollen shut. What on earth is our food system coming to? And why arent more people worried?
Laugh-so-you-don’t-cry fact #8: The USDA has not revealed what stores this beef was sold at, nor under what brand names. How can this be an actual (rather than symbolic) recall when they won’t identify the product for consumers? It could be sitting in your freezer or refrigerator right now and there’s No Way of Knowing!
I’m sure you read Michael Pollan’s article in Newsweek about this http://www.newsweek.com/id/113695/page/1
But what’s disturbing is the comments at the end of the article. It made me livid when i read them. How can people not care?
mthr fckr stpd mrcn. Hw d y thing ths s fnny… n cmmnt, ht y ll
Veni, congratulations, you are officially the first commenter to be “disemvoweled” (thanks, Boing Boing, for the idea). And…um…just FYI - you have utterly missed the point of the post. Perhaps this is due to a language barrier? (your ISP is based overseas) Well, perhaps not; you do display an excellent command of at least some English phrases. Let me know when you start a blog, so I can come visit and curse at you in another language. I’m looking forward to it!