West Palm Beach, Florida (JusticeNewsFlash.com – News Report) — Whole Foods recalled all fresh ground beef sold between June 2 and Aug. 6 at its stores in Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maine, Massachusetts, Florida, New Jersey, New York, Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, the District of Columbia, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, and Wisconsin.
According to an article in the New York Times, the beef in question came from an Omaha company called Nebraska Beef. The same company had, earlier this summer, processed the 5.3 million pounds of beef linked to nearly 50 cases of infection with a disease-causing strain of the organism E. coli. But at the time, Whole Foods did not have any procedures to monitor the codes on arriving meat packages and because of this failed to notice that the beef was being delivered from a contaminated origin. Additionally, the company was not aware of the change of hands in their distributors. They had always bought from Coleman Natural Foods, of Golden, Colorado, but this April, they sold to Meyer Natural Angus, of Loveland, Colorado. Sources then found that after the sale, Coleman started processing some of its beef at Nebraska Beef, of Omaha.
Consumers are still shopping at places such as Whole Foods and Fresh Market because of the safe, organic and fresh foods. Yet this recall may hinder these chains, especially in the time of economic struggle our nation is currently in. Whole Foods has stated it will establish new procedures to detect changes such as these in the future. The stores will also inspect shipments more closely and require E. coli testing of beef, going beyond government requirements.
Staff Reporter
