“The Jungle” 2008--E. Coli in Beef Will Be Investigated by California Senate Committee

By Senator Dean Florez By Dean Florez
California State Senator
Sixteenth District

As thousands of pounds of frozen ground beef sit “on hold” in school cafeterias across the nation while the USDA determines whether or not it is safe for our children to eat, I have scheduled a hearing of the Senate Select Committee on Food-borne Illness into the events that got us into this situation, as well as other disturbing issues brought to light by the investigation.

The USDA is investigating because video footage taken by individuals from the Humane Society shows two workers at Chino-based Westland/Hallmark Meat Company essentially torturing several sick cows to keep them on their feet so they will be deemed eligible for slaughter.

There are serious health considerations behind the ban on slaughtering such “downer cattle” for human consumption, such as E. coli or even mad cow disease, which the animals’ staggering may indicate. The thought that workers for a company which provides meat through the USDA to school districts and nutrition programs for the poor and elderly would go to such lengths to sneak a sick cow into the food chain, at great risk to the public health, is a frightening development for which the public deserves answers.

The California State Senate will bring together representatives for the USDA, Humane Society, school districts and the California Department of Health Services to determine the logic and motives behind such an action, whether or not the cows in question did in fact enter the food chain, and whether or not additional safeguards can be implemented to prevent this from happening again.

Our research so far has brought to light a meat processing practice which deserves equal concern and scrutiny. While we all know that beef is inspected for E. coli prior to distribution, most Americans probably believe beef which tests positive is destroyed.

In fact, we have learned that beef which tests positive is often – and legally – sold as “cook only” beef for items such as frozen dinners, pre-cooked burger patties and taco filling – items which are expected to be cooked to 160 degrees to kill the bacteria. One incident of cross-contamination with beef that is not “cook only” or one case of undercooking could result in tragedy.

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