"Whole Foods Recalls Beef Processed At Plant Long at Odds With USDA"

By Annys Shin and Ylan Q. Mui
Washington Post Staff Writers
Sunday, August 10, 2008; A01



Whole Foods Market pulled fresh ground beef from all of its stores
Friday, becoming the latest retailer affected by an E. coli outbreak
traced to Nebraska Beef, one of the nation's largest meatpackers. It's
the second outbreak linked to the processor in as many months.

The meat Whole Foods recalled came from Coleman Natural Foods, which
unbeknownst to Whole Foods had processed it at Nebraska Beef, an Omaha
meatpacker with a history of food-safety and other violations.
Nebraska Beef last month recalled more than 5 million pounds of beef
produced in May and June after its meat was blamed for another E. coli
outbreak in seven states. On Friday it recalled an additional 1.2
million pounds of beef produced on June 17, June 24 and July 8, which
included products eventually sold to Whole Foods. The recall is not
related to the recent spate of E. coli illnesses among Boy Scouts at a
gathering in Goshen, Va.

Whole Foods officials are investigating why they were not aware that
Coleman was using Nebraska Beef as a processor, spokeswoman Libba
Letton said.

The chain's managers took action after Massachusetts health officials
informed them Aug. 1 that seven people who had gotten sick from E.
coli O157:H7 had all bought ground beef from Whole Foods. The same
strain has sickened 31 people in 12 states, the District and Canada.

So far, tests have not found contaminated Whole Foods beef, Letton
said.

That was small comfort yesterday to some shoppers at the Whole Foods
on P Street NW.

"I shop here because the standards are higher, so yes, this really
concerns me," said Harry Harrison, 43, a District resident who shops
almost exclusively at Whole Foods and buys beef at the store about
once a week.

This latest outbreak was first identified in late July among customers
of Dorothy Lane Market, a small Ohio grocery chain. Dorothy Lane also
bought meat from Coleman Natural Foods, which bought primal cuts --
meat intended for steaks and roasts -- from Nebraska Beef. The E. coli
strain found in the Massachusetts Whole Foods customers matches that
Ohio strain.

Nebraska Beef, which continues to operate, had already been under
close scrutiny by the U.S. Department of Agriculture since late June.

William M. Lamson Jr., a Nebraska Beef spokesman, said the company and
the USDA had increased testing of its meat since then. It has found no
E. coli O157:H7 in products made since July 8.

He said that since June, Nebraska Beef has hired food safety
consultants and undertaken an in-depth review of its processes. USDA
is doing the same.

"We will continue to investigate to see what is happening at the plant
to see what they have to do to get a handle on their food-safety
issues," said agency spokeswoman Laura Reiser.

Nebraska Beef has a contentious history with the USDA. Over the past
six years, federal meat inspectors have repeatedly written it up for
sanitation violations, and the company has fought back in court.

From September 2002 to February 2003, USDA shut down the plant three
times for problems such as feces on carcasses, water dripping off
pipes onto meat, paint peeling onto equipment and plugged-up meat wash
sinks, according to agency records.

After the third suspension, Nebraska Beef took USDA to court, arguing
that another shutdown would put the company out of business. A judge
agreed and temporarily blocked the department. The USDA and the
company then settled out of court and inspections resumed. However,
when federal meat inspectors found more violations, Nebraska Beef sued
the department and the inspectors individually, accusing them of bias.
The suit was later dismissed.

In 2004 and early 2005, Nebraska Beef ran afoul of new regulations
aimed at keeping animal parts that may be infected with bovine
spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease, out of the meat supply.
Meat processors are required to remove certain high-risk parts, such
as brains and spinal cords. Between July 2004 and February 2005,
federal meat inspectors wrote up Nebraska Beef at least five times for
not removing spinal cords and heads, according to USDA records
obtained by Food and Water Watch, a Washington advocacy group. The
company corrected the problems.

In August 2006, federal meat inspectors threatened to suspend
operations at the packing house for not following requirements for
controlling E. coli. The company corrected the problem a week later,
USDA records show.

That year, Minnesota health officials blamed Nebraska Beef for
sickening 17 people who ate meatballs at a church potluck in rural
Minnesota. Several victims filed lawsuits against Nebraska Beef,
including the family of a woman who died. The company last fall sued
the church, arguing that the volunteer cooks did not cook the
meatballs properly.

Lamson said management has since asked that the suit be dropped.

Given the history of violations, some consumer advocates question why
the Agriculture Department's Food Safety and Inspection Service has
not come down harder on the company.

"It seems that FSIS is walking on eggshells when dealing with Nebraska
Beef," said Food and Water Watch lobbyist Tony Corbo. "Instead, the
agency keeps on coming up with Band-Aid approaches . . . while
consumers keep on getting sick from eating products put into commerce
by this company."

"Companies are provided the opportunity to take corrective action,"
USDA's Reiser said.

Lamson said Nebraska Beef's relationship with regulators has changed.

"We may have disagreed with USDA in the past, but we believe we have a
very good relationship going forward . . . as exemplified by our
cooperation and our voluntary recall," he said.

The force behind Nebraska Beef is Nebraska businessman William Hughes.
Hughes was a top executive at the now-defunct BeefAmerica. In 1997,
the USDA yanked its inspectors from BeefAmerica's Norfolk, Neb., plant
because of repeated sanitation violations, including contamination of
meat with fecal matter. The company had to recall more than 600,000
pounds of beef after the USDA traced E. coli O157:H7-tainted meat from
a Virginia retailer to the Omaha packer. It filed for bankruptcy the
following year.

By then, Hughes was already part of a group of Nebraska Beef
investors. The state gave the company additional financial support in
the form of $7.5 million in tax credits under its Quality Jobs Act.
Then-Gov. Ben Nelson (D), now a U.S. senator, sat on the three-member
jobs board that approved the tax credits. Nelson's former law firm,
Lamson, Dugan and Murray, represents Nebraska Beef.

While state leaders welcomed Nebraska Beef and the jobs that came with
it, residents who lived near the plant did not, and for more than a
decade, they battled the company over manure strewn in the street and
workers walking off the kill floor and into the local grocery store
covered in cow splatter, said South Omaha resident Janet Bonet.

Labor unions have also criticized Nebraska Beef over its labor
practices. Since 1998, the company has had 47 workplace safety
violations and paid more than $100,000 in fines, Occupational Safety
and Health Administration records show. Lamson said most were not
serious.

In 2002, a National Labor Relations Board official voided a 2001 vote
against unionizing Nebraska Beef employees. The NLRB official found
that management interrogated workers about their union sympathies and
threatened to fire, terminate benefits for or reassign employees who
voted to unionize.

Whole Foods Market said customers who bought ground beef between June
2 and Aug. 6 should throw it out. They can return the packaging or
receipt to the store for a refund.

[Staff writer Sindya N. Bhanoo contributed to this report.]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...080802821.html

dillydally wrote:
> "Whole Foods Recalls Beef Processed At Plant Long at Odds With USDA"
>
> By Annys Shin and Ylan Q. Mui
> Washington Post Staff Writers
> Sunday, August 10, 2008; A01
>
>
>
> Whole Foods Market pulled fresh ground beef from all of its stores
> Friday, becoming the latest retailer affected by an E. coli outbreak
> traced to Nebraska Beef, one of the nation's largest meatpackers. It's
> the second outbreak linked to the processor in as many months.
>
> The meat Whole Foods recalled came from Coleman Natural Foods, which
> unbeknownst to Whole Foods had processed it at Nebraska Beef, an Omaha
> meatpacker with a history of food-safety and other violations.
> Nebraska Beef last month recalled more than 5 million pounds of beef
> produced in May and June after its meat was blamed for another E. coli
> outbreak in seven states. On Friday it recalled an additional 1.2
> million pounds of beef produced on June 17, June 24 and July 8, which
> included products eventually sold to Whole Foods. The recall is not
> related to the recent spate of E. coli illnesses among Boy Scouts at a
> gathering in Goshen, Va.
>
> Whole Foods officials are investigating why they were not aware that
> Coleman was using Nebraska Beef as a processor, spokeswoman Libba
> Letton said.
>
> The chain's managers took action after Massachusetts health officials
> informed them Aug. 1 that seven people who had gotten sick from E.
> coli O157:H7 had all bought ground beef from Whole Foods. The same
> strain has sickened 31 people in 12 states, the District and Canada.
>
> So far, tests have not found contaminated Whole Foods beef, Letton
> said.
>
> That was small comfort yesterday to some shoppers at the Whole Foods
> on P Street NW.
>
> "I shop here because the standards are higher, so yes, this really
> concerns me," said Harry Harrison, 43, a District resident who shops
> almost exclusively at Whole Foods and buys beef at the store about
> once a week.
>
> This latest outbreak was first identified in late July among customers
> of Dorothy Lane Market, a small Ohio grocery chain. Dorothy Lane also
> bought meat from Coleman Natural Foods, which bought primal cuts --
> meat intended for steaks and roasts -- from Nebraska Beef. The E. coli
> strain found in the Massachusetts Whole Foods customers matches that
> Ohio strain.
>
> Nebraska Beef, which continues to operate, had already been under
> close scrutiny by the U.S. Department of Agriculture since late June.
>
> William M. Lamson Jr., a Nebraska Beef spokesman, said the company and
> the USDA had increased testing of its meat since then. It has found no
> E. coli O157:H7 in products made since July 8.
>
> He said that since June, Nebraska Beef has hired food safety
> consultants and undertaken an in-depth review of its processes. USDA
> is doing the same.
>
> "We will continue to investigate to see what is happening at the plant
> to see what they have to do to get a handle on their food-safety
> issues," said agency spokeswoman Laura Reiser.
>
> Nebraska Beef has a contentious history with the USDA. Over the past
> six years, federal meat inspectors have repeatedly written it up for
> sanitation violations, and the company has fought back in court.
>
> From September 2002 to February 2003, USDA shut down the plant three
> times for problems such as feces on carcasses, water dripping off
> pipes onto meat, paint peeling onto equipment and plugged-up meat wash
> sinks, according to agency records.
>
> After the third suspension, Nebraska Beef took USDA to court, arguing
> that another shutdown would put the company out of business. A judge
> agreed and temporarily blocked the department. The USDA and the
> company then settled out of court and inspections resumed. However,
> when federal meat inspectors found more violations, Nebraska Beef sued
> the department and the inspectors individually, accusing them of bias.
> The suit was later dismissed.
>
> In 2004 and early 2005, Nebraska Beef ran afoul of new regulations
> aimed at keeping animal parts that may be infected with bovine
> spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease, out of the meat supply.
> Meat processors are required to remove certain high-risk parts, such
> as brains and spinal cords. Between July 2004 and February 2005,
> federal meat inspectors wrote up Nebraska Beef at least five times for
> not removing spinal cords and heads, according to USDA records
> obtained by Food and Water Watch, a Washington advocacy group. The
> company corrected the problems.
>
> In August 2006, federal meat inspectors threatened to suspend
> operations at the packing house for not following requirements for
> controlling E. coli. The company corrected the problem a week later,
> USDA records show.
>
> That year, Minnesota health officials blamed Nebraska Beef for
> sickening 17 people who ate meatballs at a church potluck in rural
> Minnesota. Several victims filed lawsuits against Nebraska Beef,
> including the family of a woman who died. The company last fall sued
> the church, arguing that the volunteer cooks did not cook the
> meatballs properly.
>
> Lamson said management has since asked that the suit be dropped.
>
> Given the history of violations, some consumer advocates question why
> the Agriculture Department's Food Safety and Inspection Service has
> not come down harder on the company.
>
> "It seems that FSIS is walking on eggshells when dealing with Nebraska
> Beef," said Food and Water Watch lobbyist Tony Corbo. "Instead, the
> agency keeps on coming up with Band-Aid approaches . . . while
> consumers keep on getting sick from eating products put into commerce
> by this company."
>
> "Companies are provided the opportunity to take corrective action,"
> USDA's Reiser said.
>
> Lamson said Nebraska Beef's relationship with regulators has changed.
>
> "We may have disagreed with USDA in the past, but we believe we have a
> very good relationship going forward . . . as exemplified by our
> cooperation and our voluntary recall," he said.
>
> The force behind Nebraska Beef is Nebraska businessman William Hughes.
> Hughes was a top executive at the now-defunct BeefAmerica. In 1997,
> the USDA yanked its inspectors from BeefAmerica's Norfolk, Neb., plant
> because of repeated sanitation violations, including contamination of
> meat with fecal matter. The company had to recall more than 600,000
> pounds of beef after the USDA traced E. coli O157:H7-tainted meat from
> a Virginia retailer to the Omaha packer. It filed for bankruptcy the
> following year.
>
> By then, Hughes was already part of a group of Nebraska Beef
> investors. The state gave the company additional financial support in
> the form of $7.5 million in tax credits under its Quality Jobs Act.
> Then-Gov. Ben Nelson (D), now a U.S. senator, sat on the three-member
> jobs board that approved the tax credits. Nelson's former law firm,
> Lamson, Dugan and Murray, represents Nebraska Beef.
>
> While state leaders welcomed Nebraska Beef and the jobs that came with
> it, residents who lived near the plant did not, and for more than a
> decade, they battled the company over manure strewn in the street and
> workers walking off the kill floor and into the local grocery store
> covered in cow splatter, said South Omaha resident Janet Bonet.
>
> Labor unions have also criticized Nebraska Beef over its labor
> practices. Since 1998, the company has had 47 workplace safety
> violations and paid more than $100,000 in fines, Occupational Safety
> and Health Administration records show. Lamson said most were not
> serious.
>
> In 2002, a National Labor Relations Board official voided a 2001 vote
> against unionizing Nebraska Beef employees. The NLRB official found
> that management interrogated workers about their union sympathies and
> threatened to fire, terminate benefits for or reassign employees who
> voted to unionize.
>
> Whole Foods Market said customers who bought ground beef between June
> 2 and Aug. 6 should throw it out. They can return the packaging or
> receipt to the store for a refund.
>
> [Staff writer Sindya N. Bhanoo contributed to this report.]
>
> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...080802821.html

Oh, so it's Coleman, is it? Guess I'm not turning to that brand then!

--
Jean B.

REMEMBER Several Years Ago When a Rumor Had It That FOOD LION
Routinely BLEACHED Its MEAT? To Make it Look Okay, Not Spoiled?




Whether or not the rumor had any factual basis, it seemed to dampen
Food Lion's meat sales. It's possible the company changed most if
not all its stores to "BLOOM" just to get the Food Lion image out of
the public eye.

Well now Whole Foods might have its own lingering "meat problem." Is
a name change in the works?

----------------------------
"Grocer Works to Repair Its Image"

"Whole Foods Tightens Inspection Rules After Beef Recall"

By Ylan Q. Mui and Annys Shin
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, August 12, 2008; D01



Whole Foods said yesterday that it is inspecting all shipments of meat
and tightening its guidelines for suppliers following last week's
recall of two months' worth of ground beef that potentially was
contaminated with E. coli.

The moves were part of the company's efforts to restore confidence in
its products. The upscale grocer rose from a single store in Austin to
a $6.6 billion company over the past three decades by betting on a
singular corporate philosophy and business strategy: Shoppers are
willing to pay more for natural and organic products. And with those
high prices come high expectations.

"We're quite upset as well. This is not how we have our protocol set
up with our producers," said Margaret Wittenberg, Whole Foods global
vice president for quality standards. "We already have very tight
standards."

Whole Foods recalled ground beef on Friday that was sold between June
2 and August 6 after seven people in Massachusetts and two in
Pennsylvania who shopped at its stores were infected by E. coli.
Wittenberg said employees at distribution centers are now checking
labels on all meat shipments to insure that it comes from approved
processors. It is also requiring processors to inspect each box of
shipped meat for contaminants, a previously unwritten expectation, the
company said.

The recalled meat was linked to Omaha meatpacker Nebraska Beef, which
has recalled 6.5 million pounds of meat since July and has a long
history of safety, health and labor violations. Whole Foods
spokeswoman Libba Letton said one of its suppliers, Coleman Natural
Beef, was seeking to work with Nebraska Beef following its sale to
Meyer Natural Angus in June.

Whole Foods said it had received assurances that none of its meat had
been processed by Nebraska Beef. One of Whole Foods' buyers had
visited Nebraska Beef's facilities, but the processor had not been
approved when the recall occurred last week. Meyer Natural Angus did
not return phone calls yesterday.

"They're kind of a victim of their own success," Mark Kastel, co-
founder of the Cornucopia Institute, which promotes sustainable and
organic agriculture, said of Whole Foods.

"They have to deal with large-scale suppliers. The infrastructure of
that supply mechanism has the same potential for contamination as
conventional meat."

Whole Foods sets a high bar, positioning itself as more socially
conscious than its competitors. It caps top executives' pay at 19
times the average worker pay while chief executive John Mackey gets
just $1 a year. It has been a leader in retailers' green movement,
recently tightening its policies on farmed seafood, for example. Its
hormone-free meats, antibiotic-free seafood and pesticide-free produce
attract throngs of affluent shoppers.

But those customers are often demanding. The company has been
criticized for not stocking only organic produce and even for carrying
sugar on its shelves. Mackey has famously defended the company as
Whole Foods -- not holy foods.

"This is a big blow to their reputation, obviously," said Gene
Grabowski, chair of the crisis and litigation practice at Levick
Strategic Communications. "We tend to look at Whole Foods not only as
more nutritious but also safer, and we're willing to pay a premium for
that."

Whole Foods' Letton said the recalled beef was labeled as natural,
which means it is free of artificial flavors and coloring but does not
meet the more rigorous U.S. Department of Agriculture standards for
organic. The company additionally prohibits meat suppliers from using
growth hormones or antibiotics, among other requirements.

Although the company's stock dipped slightly Friday, yesterday it
rebounded, rising 5.8 percent to $19.73.

Organic and conventional meat products are often processed in the same
facility. USDA regulations stipulate that steps must be taken to
prevent the commingling of organic and conventional product such as
cleaning equipment.

"Organic doesn't address food safety or nutrition," said Joan
Schaffer, spokeswoman for USDA's National Organic Program.

Ronnie Cummins, national director of the advocacy group Organic
Consumers Association, said he is not overly concerned by the Whole
Foods recall because it was an isolated incident. The company said it
believes this is its first ground beef recall due to E.coli.

"I must say I'm not surprised to see a single incident," Cummins said.
"If it became a regular occurrence like it is with conventional beef,
I think we'd be extremely concerned."

Grabowski, who has handled public relations during large recalls for
other companies, said Whole Foods must be transparent with its
customers in order to repair its image but also suggested that
shoppers temper their expectations.

"From time to time, no matter what you do, there will be some
incidents that arise," Grabowski said. "We do not live in a risk-free
world."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...081102934.html

"dillydally" > wrote in message
...
> REMEMBER Several Years Ago When a Rumor Had It That FOOD LION
> Routinely BLEACHED Its MEAT? To Make it Look Okay, Not Spoiled?
>
>
>
>
> Whether or not the rumor had any factual basis, it seemed to dampen
> Food Lion's meat sales. It's possible the company changed most if
> not all its stores to "BLOOM" just to get the Food Lion image out of
> the public eye.
>
> Well now Whole Foods might have its own lingering "meat problem." Is
> a name change in the works?
>
> ----------------------------
> "Grocer Works to Repair Its Image"
>
> "Whole Foods Tightens Inspection Rules After Beef Recall"
>
> By Ylan Q. Mui and Annys Shin
> Washington Post Staff Writer
> Tuesday, August 12, 2008; D01
>
>
>
> Whole Foods said yesterday that it is inspecting all shipments of meat
> and tightening its guidelines for suppliers following last week's
> recall of two months' worth of ground beef that potentially was
> contaminated with E. coli.
>
> The moves were part of the company's efforts to restore confidence in
> its products. The upscale grocer rose from a single store in Austin to
> a $6.6 billion company over the past three decades by betting on a
> singular corporate philosophy and business strategy: Shoppers are
> willing to pay more for natural and organic products. And with those
> high prices come high expectations.
>
> "We're quite upset as well. This is not how we have our protocol set
> up with our producers," said Margaret Wittenberg, Whole Foods global
> vice president for quality standards. "We already have very tight
> standards."
>
> Whole Foods recalled ground beef on Friday that was sold between June
> 2 and August 6 after seven people in Massachusetts and two in
> Pennsylvania who shopped at its stores were infected by E. coli.
> Wittenberg said employees at distribution centers are now checking
> labels on all meat shipments to insure that it comes from approved
> processors. It is also requiring processors to inspect each box of
> shipped meat for contaminants, a previously unwritten expectation, the
> company said.
>
> The recalled meat was linked to Omaha meatpacker Nebraska Beef, which
> has recalled 6.5 million pounds of meat since July and has a long
> history of safety, health and labor violations. Whole Foods
> spokeswoman Libba Letton said one of its suppliers, Coleman Natural
> Beef, was seeking to work with Nebraska Beef following its sale to
> Meyer Natural Angus in June.
>
> Whole Foods said it had received assurances that none of its meat had
> been processed by Nebraska Beef. One of Whole Foods' buyers had
> visited Nebraska Beef's facilities, but the processor had not been
> approved when the recall occurred last week. Meyer Natural Angus did
> not return phone calls yesterday.
>
> "They're kind of a victim of their own success," Mark Kastel, co-
> founder of the Cornucopia Institute, which promotes sustainable and
> organic agriculture, said of Whole Foods.
>
> "They have to deal with large-scale suppliers. The infrastructure of
> that supply mechanism has the same potential for contamination as
> conventional meat."
>
> Whole Foods sets a high bar, positioning itself as more socially
> conscious than its competitors. It caps top executives' pay at 19
> times the average worker pay while chief executive John Mackey gets
> just $1 a year. It has been a leader in retailers' green movement,
> recently tightening its policies on farmed seafood, for example. Its
> hormone-free meats, antibiotic-free seafood and pesticide-free produce
> attract throngs of affluent shoppers.
>
> But those customers are often demanding. The company has been
> criticized for not stocking only organic produce and even for carrying
> sugar on its shelves. Mackey has famously defended the company as
> Whole Foods -- not holy foods.
>
> "This is a big blow to their reputation, obviously," said Gene
> Grabowski, chair of the crisis and litigation practice at Levick
> Strategic Communications. "We tend to look at Whole Foods not only as
> more nutritious but also safer, and we're willing to pay a premium for
> that."
>
> Whole Foods' Letton said the recalled beef was labeled as natural,
> which means it is free of artificial flavors and coloring but does not
> meet the more rigorous U.S. Department of Agriculture standards for
> organic. The company additionally prohibits meat suppliers from using
> growth hormones or antibiotics, among other requirements.
>
> Although the company's stock dipped slightly Friday, yesterday it
> rebounded, rising 5.8 percent to $19.73.
>
> Organic and conventional meat products are often processed in the same
> facility. USDA regulations stipulate that steps must be taken to
> prevent the commingling of organic and conventional product such as
> cleaning equipment.
>
> "Organic doesn't address food safety or nutrition," said Joan
> Schaffer, spokeswoman for USDA's National Organic Program.
>
> Ronnie Cummins, national director of the advocacy group Organic
> Consumers Association, said he is not overly concerned by the Whole
> Foods recall because it was an isolated incident. The company said it
> believes this is its first ground beef recall due to E.coli.
>
> "I must say I'm not surprised to see a single incident," Cummins said.
> "If it became a regular occurrence like it is with conventional beef,
> I think we'd be extremely concerned."
>
> Grabowski, who has handled public relations during large recalls for
> other companies, said Whole Foods must be transparent with its
> customers in order to repair its image but also suggested that
> shoppers temper their expectations.
>
> "From time to time, no matter what you do, there will be some
> incidents that arise," Grabowski said. "We do not live in a risk-free
> world."
>
> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...081102934.html

And all this from a company that stopped selling lobsters because they
claimed that they weren't being treated 'humanely'.