Penn State Ag Sciences Newsline -- February 26, 2008

Recall will have lasting impact on nation's beef industry (:49)

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Suggested Intro:

LAST WEEK'S RECALL OF MILLIONS OF POUNDS OF BEEF PRODUCTS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA MAY STUN THE NATION'S BEEF MARKET. BUT A SPECIALIST IN PENN STATE'S COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES SAYS THE END RESULT SHOULD BE A SAFER PRODUCT. GARY ABDULLAH HAS THE STORY:

Story:

(:15) THE WESTLAND-HALLMARK MEAT RECALLWAS THE BIGGEST IN U-S. HISTORY, RESULTING FROM WORKERS ABUSING SICK AND INJURED ANIMALS. PENN STATE ANIMAL SCIENTIST JOHN COMERFORD SAYS, ALTHOUGH THE INCIDENT WAS UNFORTUNATE, IT'S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT THE RECALL WAS NOT TRIGGERED BY CONTAMINATION OF THE MEAT SUPPLY:

Comerford Actuality:
(:19) "THE RECALL WAS PREDICATED ON A VIOLATION OF THE HUMANE SLAUGHTER ACT, AND NOT ON ANY SPECIFIC HUMAN HEALTH OR DISEASE ISSUE. THE HUMAN HEALTH RISK AS A RESULT OF THAT PRODUCT IS EXTREMELY LOW. BUT OF COURSE, SAFEGUARDS SHOULD BE IN PLACE FOR ANY PRODUCT THAT IS A PART OF A PRODUCT RECALL, WHETHER IT'S BEEF OR ANY OTHER KIND OF FOOD."

(:15) COMERFORD SAYS MEAT PACKERS INVOLVED IN SAFETY VIOLATIONS OFTEN CLOSE, AND GREATER OVERSIGHT ON THE REMAINING PROCESSORS LEADS TO INCREASED FOOD SAFETY - - PROOF, HE SAYS, THAT THE COUNTRY'S BEEF-SAFETY PROGRAM IS WORKING. FROM PENN STATE, I'M GARY ABDULLAH.

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Learn more:

DEVELOPING A FOOD DEFENSE PLAN FOR MEAT AND POULTRY SLAUGHTER AND PROCESSING PLANTS (USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service publication in PDF format -- Adobe Acrobat Reader required)

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