http://www.reuters.com/article/busin...18729020071104

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Agricultural giant Cargill Inc said on Saturday it
was recalling more than 1 million pounds of ground beef distributed in
the United States because of possible E. coli contamination.

Cargill Meat Solutions said the 1.084 million pounds (491,700 kg) of
ground beef was produced at the Wyalusing, Pennsylvania, facility
between October 8 and October 11, and distributed to retailers across
the country.

The retail chains that sold the beef include Giant, Shop Rite, Stop &
Shop, Wegmans and Weis.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture returned a confirmed positive for
the E. coli bacteria on a sample produced on October 8, the privately
owned company said.

The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service said the problem was
discovered through follow-up investigation and sampling after a
positive E. coli test at another federal establishment.

Symptoms of E. coli 0157:H7 illness, the strain associated with the
recall, include potentially severe stomach cramps, diarrhea and
dehydration. Children, the elderly and people with poor immune systems
are the must vulnerable.

"No illnesses have been associated with this product," John Keating,
president of Cargill Regional Beef, said in a statement. "We are
working closely with the USDA to remove the product from the
marketplace."

Rep. Bart Stupak, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce
Committee's subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, said Cargill
CEO Greg Page had been asked to testify on November 13 at a committee
hearing on food safety.

"This latest recall of more than a million pounds of beef is of great
concern," Stupak, a Michigan Democrat, said in a statement.
_____________________________

So, in light of all the ongoing China bashing in the mainstream US
media, what do you think is worse? Buying (allegedly) lead-paint
contained toys from China (even though Mattel has already admitted
it's mainly their own fault), or eating a dangerous level on a daily
basis and on a mass-scale of US-made, slaughtered beef by Cargill, a
US-based company?

David Huang