Not total recall

The holes in the U.S. food safety system don't go overlooked in the office of Rep. Rosa DeLauro. Here is what she said about the USA Today article that examined the recovery rates of the USDA meat recalls.

Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (Conn. -3) issued the following statement about the USA Today analysis, which drew attention to the fact that most meat recalled by the U.S. Department of Agriculture is never recovered. According to the analysis, for 73 meat recalls this year and last, recovery rates per recall averaged 44% and for the five recalls connected to food-borne illness outbreaks, the recovery rates per recall averaged 20%.

“That most recalled meat is never recovered, although frightening in its implications, is not a surprise. While the USA Today analysis of this long-standing problem emphasizes the importance of acting quickly when tainted food is discovered, it also highlights the desperate need to reform the food safety system to minimize or prevent these recalls and reduce the danger to the public of consuming contaminated meat that was subjected to a recall.

“The current voluntary recall system increases the risk of contaminated meat being consumed because companies are initially inclined to protect profits as opposed to ensuring the safety of their products. The ConAgra pot pie recall is a perfect example of this – the company, which initially refused to recall their products, blaming consumers for undercooking the pot pies, finally issued the recall days later after nearly 200 people in 31 states became ill.

“The USA Today article also notes that USDA is able to recover more recalled meat when the number of days between production and when problems are detected is minimal. However, if companies attempt to ignore problems after they are initially detected, it further reduces the chance of recovering tainted meat, and increases the risk of this meat being consumed by the public.”