Cargill's Second Turkey Recall in Six Weeks

By Andrew Simmons Mon., Sep. 12 2011 at 8:27 AM

taleitalei/flickr

Turkey burger.

A turkey burger isn't sounding so good right now. Even if no immediate evidence suggests salmonella-laced ground gobbler has, as of this weekend, infiltrated California's stores, the Minnesota-based company Cargill Inc. has issued its second recall in six weeks -- this time for 185,000 pounds of loose ground meat, patties, and the unfortunately named "chubs" produced on August 23, 24, 30, and 31 at the same Arkansas plant where the previous contamination occurred. All ground turkey made at the Springdale plant will show, either in a USDA seal or on the plastic package, a "P-963" or "963." Consumers who bought the product should call (888) 812-1646.

After the August 3 outbreak, nearly 36 million pounds of meat sold under the Kroger, Fresh HEB, and Honeysuckle White brands were recalled, and Cargill went bonkers trying to pin down the source. The plant shut down production for about a week, dismantled and steam-cleaned equipment, and installed -- in the reckoning of spokesperson Mike Martin -- "the most advanced sampling and monitoring system in the poultry industry."

The fact that salmonella appeared a little over a month later is a testament both to the bacteria's sneaky omnipresence in feed, soil, and water and also the general grossness of the so-called poultry industry. When you're committed to whacking and pulverizing thousands of pounds of miserably treated birds a day to meet the public's demand for affordable protein, you're setting yourself -- and customers -- up for problems.

Tags:

Andrew Simmons, Cargill, Ground Turkey Recall, Salmonella

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Christine Zipps

Thanks for calling it like it is in last paragraph! Just read another article from another source (seemingly "natural foods" type) that gave Cargill kudos on setting example as the way the food industry SHOULD operation -- referring to their shutting down and cleaning up. It STILL doesn't improve the "living" conditions for the poor birds who suffer unspeakably in sardine quarters and filth not to mention the poisons they are forced to consume and receive through injections - all for the sake of the Mighty Dollar profit. It's been proven that it costs no more to use humane methods with the animals along with hormone/antibiotic/pesticide food and treatments.... I would love permission to use this article in my upcoming books intended to increase awareness like, "Planet of the Sheeples" -- referring to state of our nation's food supply and health (sick?) care system..... Please feel free to respond to me directly to: Studio_Luna@comcast.net. Thank you. Christine - "Apple-A-Day Books"

Christine Zipps

need to make important CORRECTION to my previous statement, please: ...."humane methods with the animals along with hormone/antibiotic/pesticide FREE food and treatments" -- ah, the devil indeed must reside in the proverbial details.... Thank you for time and consideration.

Federal Media Control Board

"When you're committed to whacking and pulverizing thousands of pounds of miserably treated birds a day to meet the public's demand for affordable protein, you're setting yourself -- and customers -- up for problems."

Can you estimate Q = Ns / Nt, where Ns is the number of pounds of proven salmonella-infected ground poultry delivered by the "poultry industry" each year and Nt is the total number of pounds of ground poultry it produces? If you have no idea of the value of Q, how can you reasonably claim that, merely by existing, the industry is setting itself up for problems? Committee recommendation: in the long periods between posts, complete your reading of the logic book we sent you last year.