Samantha BonarA California company is recalling nearly 9 million pounds of beef because it processed “diseased and unsound animals,” according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service.
Rancho Feeding Corp. of Petaluma also processed the 8.74 million pounds of meat without full federal inspection, according to the agency, which called the meat “adulterated” and “unsound, unwholesome or otherwise unfit for human food.” The recall is mostly of beef parts such as tripe, oxtail, liver and sweetbreads, although whole carcasses were recalled as well. (Honestly, are “beef lips” fit for human consumption under any circumstances?)
]The beef and veal products were produced Jan. 1, 2013 through Jan. 7, 2014 and shipped to distribution centers and retail establishments in California, Florida, Illinois and Texas.
No illnesses have been reported. However, the FSIS has ranked this a Class I recall, with a “high” health risk: “This is a health hazard situation where there is a reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death.”
Trust us on this: “Unsound,” “unwholesome” and “unfit” are never adjectives you want to see in front of “meat.”
Want more Squid Ink? Follow us on Twitter or like us on Facebook, and follow Samantha Bonar at @samanthabonar.
Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.