•1) Why was Whole Foods selling meat that was supposed to be recalled?
•2) Why was Whole Foods buying meat from Nebraska Beef Ltd., in the first place?

Whole Foods website is filled with all sorts of promises. Here is one that seemed to be a bit ignored:

Products - Our Quality Standards

We carry natural and organic products because we believe that food in its purest state — unadulterated by artificial additives, sweeteners, colorings, and preservatives — is the best tasting and most nutritious food available.

Our business is to sell the highest quality foods we can find at the most competitive prices possible. We evaluate quality in terms of nutrition, freshness, appearance, and taste. Our search for quality is a never-ending process involving the careful judgment of buyers throughout the company.

Here are some other questions for Whole Foods (after they answer the first two):

• 1) Were you aware of Nebraska Beef’s litigation history against the USDA in 2003 and a church in upstate Minnesota in 2007?
• 2) Had you ever reviewed Nebraska Beef’s Non-compliance Reports?
• 3) Had you ever visited the Nebraska Beef plant?
• 4) After being linked to an E. coli outbreak in California in 2006, what safety measures did Whole Foods employ?

The bacterial beef was sold in: Alabama, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Washington D. C.

Consumers can return to Whole Foods with a receipt or beef packaging for a full refund. For more information, call (512) 542-0878. While on hold, take a moment to wonder if you ever cook your meat to 160 degrees.

Whole Foods E. coli cases Traced to Nebraska Beef Ltd., Meat? [Marler Blog]
Whole Foods recalling possible E. coli contaminated beef [AP]
PREVIOUSLY: More Beef Recalled For E. Coli
(AP Photo/Harry Cabluck)

"The cost implications of having that value menu have changed when you see what's going on in beef and chicken," CEO Ralph Alvarez told investors, "The way the dollar menu looks today won't be the way it's going to look next year. In this current environment, we've got to make sure we're pricing smart, not just pricing low."

The Chicago Tribune reports that McDonald's did not elaborate on what exactly they will be changing about the popular menu, but did disclose that "tests" are underway in which the double cheeseburger is more expensive.

Get them while they're cheap.

Changes ahead for dollar menu [Chicago Tribune]
(Photo: Matt McGee )

As we wrote a year ago, when the district court decision was handed down, the current USDA testing scheme for mad cow tests only the cattle that the USDA has dubbed "high risk," which ends up being less than one percent of America's beef. Creekstone Farms claimed that it has lost business in Japan and South Korea due to the mad cow scare in the U.S. a few years ago, and that it would like to reassure its domestic and international customers by testing all of its cattle. To that end, the company built its own testing center and was prepared to begin testing its beef, but the USDA, which regulates the sale of mad cow testing kits, blocked the sale. The lower court case turned on an interpretation of the Virus-Serum-Toxin Act, which regulates, among other things, products "intended for use in the treatment of domestic animals." The district court pointed out that there is no treatment or cure for mad cow disease, and the tests are only performed on dead animals, thus the tests should not be regulated by the USDA under this act.

For its part, the meatpacking lobby ("Big Meat") opposes Creekstone Farms, citing fears that if Creekstone tests all its beef, consumers will force other meatpackers to do so, leading to more expensive beef.

U.S. Wants to Stop Increased Testing for Mad Cow [CNN]
Creekstone Farms v. U.S. Department of Agriculture
Virus-Serum-Toxin Act
(Photo: Yogi)

You might have a harder time finding kosher meat in the coming weeks, because the country's largest kosher meat packing plant, Agriprocessors, was raided this past Monday. At least 300 of its nearly 1000 employees were arrested for using fraudulently obtained Social Security numbers, and immigration officials have said they expect the number to go as high as 700.

Agriprocessors is located in Postville, Iowa, which might seem like an odd place for the nation's largest kosher meat packing plant:

About 200 Hasidic Jews arrived in Postville in 1987, when butcher Aaron Rubashkin of Brooklyn's Crown Heights neighborhood reopened a defunct meatpacking plant with his two sons, Sholom and Heshy, just outside the city limits. Business boomed at the plant, reviving the depressed economy while pitting the newcomers against the predominantly Lutheran community.

"Iowa meatpacking plant raided in ID theft investigation" [USA Today]

RELATED
"Immigration Authorities Arrest Hundreds in Raid on Nation’s Largest Kosher Meat Plant" [Forward]
(Photo: Getty Images)

Here's the actual BBB complain that went unanswered by Taco Bell:

About 3 weeks ago i called the 800# asking what grade of beef they use. All they could tell me was usda approved. I called 4 times and got the same, twice i left my # and was told a nutritionalist would call me back....no call ever came. I next e mailed corp with the same question. I was answered by a Sandy Shakelford telline me:I have located a phone number contact in which you can inquire about our meat. Taco Bell Corporation 949-863-4500 and ask for the QA Department. I called a total of three times first got a prompt telling me to put in MY voice mail # to get my messages. Next i was transfered to a recording telling of bad cheese both plain and mixed and to throw them out and call in for a credit. Third was disconected. 4th i got a voice mailbox in the Quality control dept. i think his name was Steve...Again i left my question and # and again no call back. On Feb 27 i e mailed Sandy telling her what my phone experiance was and had not got an answer to my question...That was 10 days ago and again no contact from Sandy nor Taco Bell. Side note the web sight says contact us call 1800 TACO BELL when its actually 800 TACO BEL....The companys resistance to answer my question tells me what i was told by a friend that worked there that they use poor yet usda approved beef could be true.

They seem like pleasant mustachioed fellows.

U.S. sees largest meat recall in history [Yahoo!]

From the WSJ:

In two conference calls this week, industry and USDA officials discussed the possibility of excluding from the recall Hallmark/Westland beef that was mixed with other suppliers' meat and sent to retail and wholesale customers, according to a memo written by an employee of Olsson Frank Weeda Terman Bode Matz PC. The Washington law firm represents several food companies. The department appears to have since decided against narrowing the scope.

Beef Industry Presses For Reduced Recall [WSJ]

"There's going to be real food inflation in this country," C. Larry Pope, president and chief executive of U.S. beef processor Smithfield Foods Inc., said at the U.S. Agriculture Department's annual outlook conference.

Prices of grain futures have surged lately. For example, wheat futures have more than doubled on the Chicago Board of Trade over the last 12 months. Pope said meat shoppers eventually will pay for the rally because farmers who raise livestock cannot absorb the sharp escalation in feed costs.

Pope said the rip-roaring rallies in corn, soybeans and wheat would be good for farmers, but are "scary" for companies like Smithfield and the rest of the livestock industry.

"I think we need to tell the American consumer that things are going up," he said in a speech. "We're seeing cost increases that we've never seen in our business."

If you're a budget foodie, give up on the dream of tasting Kobe or Kobe-style beef anytime soon:

If you're looking to cook at home and you can find Wagyu at $30 per pound, you are better off buying USDA Prime. This is one instance when you should go big or go home. In Japan, full-bred Kobe costs upwards of $300 per pound, but Lobels in Manhattan and other premier retailers sell the top quality American versions for around $100 per pound.

The products subject to recall were distributed for further processing and repackaging and will not bear the recalling firm's establishment number on the package. As the use-by date for products subject to this recall may have expired, consumers can contact their retailers to ask if they received any of these products and if so, consumers are urged to look in their freezers for these products and return or discard them if found.

The ground beef products subject to recall were produced on Oct. 10, 2007, and were distributed to retail establishments and distributors in Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Tennessee, Wisconsin and Virginia.

Wisconsin Firm Recalls Ground Beef Products due to Possible E. Coli O157:H7 Contamination [USDA]
(Photo:rick)

Last week, Topps recalled 21.7 million pounds of frozen hamburger patties, making it the one of the largest recalls of its kind and the company's first in 67 years of operation. From the NYT:

The lawsuit, filed in United States District Court in New York, seeks compensation from Topps and a number of stores that stock its frozen meat, including Wal-Mart, ShopRite and Pathmark. The suit names four plaintiffs, according to Robert K. Jenner, a Baltimore lawyer.

One plaintiff, Jimmy Patton of Springdale, Ark., bought a bag of Sam's Choice Backyard Gourmet Beef Burgers on Sept. 15 from Wal-Mart, the suit said. Seven days later he cooked and ate the beef. By Sept. 26, the suit said, Mr. Patton "began exhibiting symptoms of E. coli exposure, including but not limited to severe abdominal cramps, severe bloody diarrhea and fatigue."

Class-Action Lawsuit Filed Against Producer of Beef [NYT]

PREVIOUSLY: Hamburger Recalled For E. Coli After 6 Illnesses Reported In New York
Meat Industry Showing Signs Of Larger Problems

The recalled products were shipped to stores in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. They were sold under the brand names Moran's All Natural, Miller Meat Company, Stater Bros., Trader Joe's Butcher Shop, Inter-American Products Inc. and Basha's.

The affected grocery stores included Albertson's, Basha's, Grocery Outlet, Fry's, "R" Ranch Markets, Save-A-Lot, Save-Mart, Scolari's Wholesale Markets, Smart and Final, Smith's, Stater Bros. and Superior Warehouse.

Beef Recall Expanded Millions of Pounds [AP]
(Photo: hans s)

The issue landed in court after Creekstone Farms offended the USDA by constructing a state of the art facility to test for mad cow. The USDA fears that testing will reveal too many 'false positives,' scaring the hell out of consumers and threatening the financial health of the nation's meat industry.

The USDA sued Creekstone in U.S. District Court, where they lost. Judge James Robinson ruled that the USDA: "lacks authority to prohibit the private use of BSE test kits, which are not used in the treatment of BSE, but are used on cattle that are already dead to see if they had significant levels of BSE infection."

This is not over. The USDA won't stop fighting to protect the health of consumers the meat industry, and has vowed to appeal. Until the appeal is resolved, meatpackers won't be able to test their stock for mad cow diesease. — CAREY GREENBERG-BERGER

Government to restrain meatpackers from testing for mad cow disease [AP] (Thanks to Scott)
(Photo: destinelee)

"Because these products later became ground beef sold under many different retail brand names, consumers should check with their local retailer to determine whether they may have purchased any of the products subject to recall," the USDA said.

No new E. coli cases in beef scare; recall expanded [Minnesota Star Tribune]
(Photo: Sunfox)

Raising the Steaks[Slate]

"Buying beef in bulk can be an excellent deal, but not for everyone. Buying a side of beef is a good choice if you like to cook, you eat a lot of meat, you have storage space, and quality is important to you."

Does this sound like you? If so, check out bulk beef. —MEGHANN MARCO

How to buy a side of beef [Get Rich Slowly]

Now the United States Department of Agriculture wants to make the "grass-fed" label hollow and meaningless. Under proposed rules, "grass-fed" cattle won't need to actually ever graze on a pasture and can be fed vegetable matter other than grass.

The new rules are under discussion in the first place because no standard definition exists, and demand for grass-fed beef is going up. But do regulators really need to adopt the lowest common denominator?

Ranchers Decry Grass-Fed Beef Rule Plan [CBS]

Beef hacked off the side of a holy Japanese cow. Mushrooms decried in the wild by the quivering snout of a trained French pig. A single slice of cheese congealed from the lactations of an angel's snowy breasts.

Meet the most expensive hamburger in the world, sold at the Boca Raton Old Homestead Steakhouse for $124.50 each. The restaurant donates 10 bucks from each sale to the Make-A-Wish foundation. Gee, how generous.

Looking at the full list of ingredients, sure, it does look prestigious and swell. But I can't be the only one who looks at the picture above and finds their mouth's loins a quiver for a three buck Wendy's Bacon Double Cheeseburger.

Fla. Restaurant Sells $100 Hamburger [AP]

This week, the toasted sub is back and it's gonna kick your butt.

We've got the sandwich porn movie to prove it...

Back in December, the feds approved a new Quizno's promotion. Now, the meat fruits of their labors have arrived. Note the giant Beef Check logo. That means the Beef-Board and the federal government think it's a good idea for you to eat this sandwich.

There's also this ad from the same campaign. We prefer the singing monkey butts.

The US Food Policy (USFP) blog writes:

"The advertising campaign...is a partnership between Quiznos and the Cattlemen's Beef Promotion and Research Board, a semi-governmental program to promote beef demand. The Beef Board is established by Congress, overseen by USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service, and funded through $46 million per year in mandatory assessments — taxes — collected from beef producers under federal government authority. The Beef Board is one of several meat and dairy commodity "checkoff" programs, which dwarf federal support promoting fruits, vegetables, or the Dietary Guidelines."

USFP attempts at learning the nutritional content of the signature sandwich were unsuccessful. The Prime Rib Sub is not listed in the CalorieKing database, either. What you got to hide, Quiznos? Don't think we don't see those white, pussy, globules dripping out your pockets.

The author notes that the Beef Board's press release reports the new Prime Rib promotion was inspired by the Steakhouse Beef Dip promotion's success.

"Feds Approve Quiznos Prime Rib Promotion" [US Food Policy Blog]

On one hand, congratulations to Atlantic Veal & Lamb for shipping contaminated cow bones to Japan within two weeks of the ban on US beef being lifted. That s the sort of fuck-up that can only be met with a golf clap.

On the other Hello, Japan? Guess what? It isn't very likely eating the brain of even the funkiest and craziest bovine is going to croak you. Don't get us wrong - we can understand our Northern Neighbors getting excitable. A logical appraisal of chance is irrelevant to the residents of, say, Moose Knuckle, Saskatchewan—they need to ensure the purity of their beef jerky stocks, which accounts for 67% of Canada s GDP. But shouldn t the Japanese—who are so into science that they send their walking, talking robots to meet with foreign dignitaries&mdashlunderstand the difference between typical media hysteria and actual scientific threat? Because the chance of getting variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is one in ten billion.

Imagine for a second that America banned the import of Japanese television sets the second they found out that Sadako had climbed out of one and started killing people. Then you ll understand the absurdity of the actual threat versus Japan s overblown hyper-reaction.