Consumers To Receive Information about Where Recalled Meat Was Sold
CONTACT:
Erin Greenfield or Tony Corbo
(202) 683-2500
Consumers To Receive Information about Where Recalled Meat Was Sold: USDA Should Extend New Rule to all Recalled Products
Statement by Wenonah Hauter, Food & Water Watch Executive Director
‚After years of bureaucratic delay, we are encouraged to see that the U.S. Department of Agriculture‚ Food Safety and Inspection Service has finally decided to disclose the names of retailers where meat and poultry products subject to Class I recalls are sold.
‚The recent recall of more than five million pounds of potentially E. coli-contaminated ground beef illustrates how necessary this rule change is. Even after the recall was announced, there are continued reports of more illnesses linked to this recall, indicating that unsafe product may still be reaching consumers.
‚But unfortunately, due to pressure from the White House, the new rule stops short of the changes necessary to fully protect consumers. The rule does not include Class II and Class III recalls – recalls that FSIS views as less urgent based on the agency‚ estimate of the health threat posed by the product. All types of recalled products should be subject to this rule change, not just those that fall into Class I.
‚The limited scope of this new rule will leave consumers confused during some meat recalls, as demonstrated earlier this year with the massive Westland/Hallmark recall. Because the Westland/Hallmark recall was designated as Class II, consumers would have remained in the dark about where the products from that recall were sold had this rule been in effect at that time.
‚We urge the Administration to extend this new rule to cover all meat and poultry recalls, regardless of why the product is being recalled, so consumers have a better chance of heeding warnings before it is too late. If a problem is serious enough to spark a recall, it is serious enough to give consumers all the information they need to avoid potentially dangerous products.”