“We live in a very litigious society”: Quoted ibid.
213 The USDA now informs the public: Interview with Elizabeth Gaston, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service.
“Its very frustrating for us”: Quoted in Allison Young and Jeff Taylor, “Stealthy Meat Recalls Leave Consumers in Dark,” Denver Post, May 13, 1999. See also Allison Beers, “Recalls Present Tough Decisions for Food Companies,” Food Chemical News, May 4, 1998; and Pan Demetrakakes, “Backlash: Recalls,” Food Processing August 1, 1999.
“Press releases will not identify”: Quoted in “Recall of Meat and Poultry Products,” FSIS Directive, January 19, 2000.
A recent IBP press release: “Ground Beef Product Recall,” IBP news release, June 23, 2000.
214 Nowhere does the press release mention: The story of the outbreak at Tiger Harry’s is based on interviews with officials at the Arkansas Department of Health, including Dennis Berry, an epidemiologist; John Kraft, a field investigator; and Dr. David Bourne, medical director of the Preventive Health Section. See also “21 Ill, 11 Hospitalized for E. coli; Outbreak May Be Tied to Restaurant,” Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, June 3, 2000; “266,000 Pounds of Bad Beef Recalled,” Capital Times, June 24, 2000; “Health Department Finds No Further Cases of E. coli Infection; USDA Investigating Ground Beef,” press release, Arkansas Department of Health, June 16, 2000.
“We can fine circuses for mistreating elephants”: Quoted in Carol Smith, “Overhaul in Meat Inspection No Small Potatoes, Official Says,” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, January 29, 1998.
215 demoralized and understaffed: See Allison Beers, “Plant Staffing Shortages Exacerbated by Excessive Absences, Low Morale,” Food Chemical News, August 16, 1999.
the USDA had 12,000 meat inspectors: See Jake Thompson, “Meat Inspectors’ Role Scrutinized: Critics Say That Despite a New Safety Program, There Are Too Few People to Monitor Plants,” Omaha World-Herald, August 24, 1997; “Industry Forum: State of the Union,” Meat & Poultry, March 1998; and “Beefing Up Inspection,” Government Executive, February 1999.
215 the new HACCP plans are only as good: For a strong critique of the current system from an unexpected source, see “Food Safety and Inspection Service: Implementation of the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point System,” U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General, Food Safety Initiative, Meat and Poultry Products, Report no. 24001–3-At, June 2000.
216 She routinely falsified her checklist: Gary Mickelson, a spokesman for IBP, told me that an employee who falsifies such documentation is subject to disciplinary action by the company. He also told me that IBP employees have in fact been terminated for such behavior.
220-degree steam: The number comes from “SPS 400: Information Update,” a manual published by Frigoscandia Equipment, the manufacturer of steam pasteurization units.
by about 90 percent: Ibid.
“We have been informed that carcasses”: IBP memo from Dean Danilson to Leo Lang re: outrail cattle, May 19, 1997.
217 The dirtiest meat was to be shipped out: When the memo leaked in June of 1998, IBP denied that it was shipping contaminated meat to outside suppliers, claimed its unusual outrail policy had been devised solely to address shelf-life concerns — and said that, in any event, the policy was no longer in effect. Gary Mickelson, an IBP spokesman, repeated the same assertions to me, adding that “IBP’s quality and food safety programs… are considered by many to be the ‘best’ in the industry. We will not sell any products — whether it be boxed beef or beef carcasses that we do not believe are safe for human consumption.” See also “Ground Beef Guidelines Are Insufficient, STOP Says,” Food Chemical News, June 8, 1998.
research for the Star Wars antimissile program: See “Titan to Put Whammy on Food Bacteria,” San Diego Union-Tribune, May 18, 1999.
get rid of the word “irradiation”: See “Beef Industry Recommends Irradiation Rule Include Ready-to-Eat Meats,” Food Labeling News, June 23, 1999; Rick Lingle, “Food Irradiation Acceleration,” Packaging Digest, July 1, 1999; and Steven F. Grover, “Pasteurized Foods in Your Future?” Food Management, October 1999. Grover is a vice president of the National Restaurant Association.
A 1983 investigation by NBC News: For the story of Rudy “Butch” Stanko, see Wayne Slater, “Domestic News,” AP, September 19, 1983; “Agriculture to Investigate a Meat Plant in Denver,” New York Times, September 20, 1983; Judy Harrington, “Packing Company, Owner, Guilty of Selling Bad Meat to Government,” AP, September 15, 1984; and Neal Karlen with Jeff P. Copeland, “A ‘Mystery Meat’ Scandal,” Newsweek, September 24, 1984.
219 an eleven-year-old-boy became seriously ilclass="underline" For the Bauer Meat story, see Patricia Guthrie, “Government Says Bauer Meats Are Unfit to Eat,” Atlanta Journal, October 14, 1998; “Bauer Meat ‘Unfit for Human Consumption,’” Meat Processing, November 1, 1998; “Bacteria Wars: How 3 Processors Responded,” St. Petersburg Times, February 14, 1999; Robert Trigaux, “Tougher Standards Battle Meat Bacteria,” St. Petersburg Times, February 14, 1999; and “E. Coli Suit Principals Confer; Child’s Family Sues Florida Company,” Florida Times-Union, May 15, 1999.
a dozen children in Finley, Washington: For the Northern States Beef story, see Elliott Jaspin and Scott Montgomery, “Feds Buy Bad Beef for Low Bid; E. coli Outbreak Results from School Lunch Program Supply System,” Atlanta Journal, March 28, 1999; and “Tainted School Tacos,” Seattle Times, May 8, 1999.
219 as much as 47 percent of the company’s ground beef: See Bill Lodge, “Dallas Beef Plant That Failed Salmonella Tests Challenges Screening System,” Dallas Morning News, December 10, 1999; and Tiara Ellis and Michael Saul, “Dallas Meat Processor Recalls Beef After USDA Detects E. coli,” Dallas Morning News, December 26, 1999.
about 1.4 million illnesses: Mead et al., “Food-Related Illness and Death.”
the USDA continued to purchase thousands of tons: See Scott Montgomery and Elliot Jaspin, “USDA Purchased Meat from Texas Plant after Contamination Cited,” Atlanta Journal, Decmber 4, 1999.
annually providing as much as 45 percent: Cited in “USDA Has a Valid Beef in Dallas,” Chicago Tribune, December 14, 1999.
220 the USDA resumed its purchases: See “USDA Satisfied with Changes in Meat Plant It Tried to Shut Down,” AP, February 15,2000.