Kansans and Friends In Weight Loss

Congressional and Public Affairs
(202) 720-9113
Peggy Riek

WASHINGTON, June 26, 2008 – Beltex Corporation, doing business as Frontier Meats, a Fort Worth, Texas, establishment, is recalling approximately 2,850 pounds of fresh cattle heads which may contain specified risk materials (SRMs), the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced today.

SRMs are tissues that are known to contain the infective agent in cattle infected with BSE, as well as materials that are closely associated with these potentially infective tissues. Therefore, FSIS prohibits SRMs from use as human food to minimize potential human exposure to the BSE agent.

The products subject to recall include:

• Cases of “BEEF WHOLE HEAD.” Each shipping package bears the establishment number “EST. 7041B” inside the USDA mark of inspection, as well as a package code of “51904″ or “63922.”

The company is recalling all products packed between May 31, 2007, and June 24, 2008. These products were distributed to retail establishments and lunch carts in the Dallas-Ft. Worth, Texas, area.

The problem was discovered by the State of Texas officials during a routine inspection at a retail establishment.

Media and consumers with questions about the recall should contact the company Sales Department at (817) 624-1136.

Consumers with food safety questions can “Ask Karen,” the FSIS virtual representative available 24 hours a day at AskKaren.gov. The toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) is available in English and Spanish and can be reached from l0 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Eastern Time) Monday through Friday. Recorded food safety messages are available 24 hours a day.

Congressional and Public Affairs
(202) 720-9113
Amanda Eamich

WASHINGTON, June 25, 2008 – The Kroger Co., a Cincinnati, Ohio, retailer is recalling an undetermined amount of ground beef products that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced today.

The products subject to recall include all varieties and weights of ground beef products bearing a Kroger label sold between May 21 and June 8 at Michigan and Central and Northwestern Ohio Kroger retail establishments. These ground beef products also include a sell-by date between “05/21/08″ and “06/08/08.”

These products were distributed to Kroger stores in Michigan and Columbus and Toledo, Ohio. FSIS has confirmed that none of the affected products remain available for purchase at stores; however consumers are urged to check their refrigerators and freezers and discard or return the ground beef products for a refund.

This recall was initiated after epidemiological investigations and a case control study conducted by the Michigan and Ohio Departments of Agriculture and Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention determined that there is an association between the ground beef products and 32 illnesses reported in Michigan (15) and Ohio (17). The illnesses were linked through the epidemiological investigation by their pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) pattern, or DNA fingerprint, found in PulseNet, a database maintained by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Anyone with signs or symptoms of foodborne illness should consult a medical professional.

E. coli O157:H7 is a potentially deadly bacterium that can cause bloody diarrhea, dehydration, and in the most severe cases, kidney failure. The very young, seniors and persons with weak immune systems are the most susceptible to foodborne illness.

Consumers with questions about the recall should contact the Kroger Consumer Hotline at (800) 632-6900. Media with questions about the recall should contact company Director of Corporate Affairs Meghan Glynn at (513) 762-1304.

Consumers with food safety questions can “Ask Karen,” the FSIS virtual representative available 24 hours a day at AskKaren.gov. The toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) is available in English and Spanish and can be reached from l0 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Eastern Time) Monday through Friday. Recorded food safety messages are available 24 hours a day.

Congressional and Public Affairs
(202) 720-9113
Peggy Riek

WASHINGTON, June 9, 2008 - Gourmet Foods, Inc., a Rancho Dominquez, Calif., firm, is recalling approximately 130 pounds
of various ready-to-eat chicken products that may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s
Food Safety and Inspection Service announced today.

The following products are subject to recall: [View Labels]

• 17-ounce
  packages of “Famima!! CHICKEN TERIYAKI BOWL WITH SAUCE ON RICE, KEEP
  REFRIGERATED / PERISHABLE.” Each package bears the establishment number
  “EST. P-7738″ inside the USDA mark of inspection, as well as a “SELL
  BY” date of “06/04/08,” “06/05/08,” “06/06/08″ or “06/07/08.”
• 12.85-ounce
  packages of “Famima!! THAI STYLE CHICKEN WITH RICE, PEANUT SAUCE AND
  VEGETABLES, KEEP REFRIGERATED / PERISHABLE.” Each package bears the
  establishment number “EST. P-7738″ inside the USDA mark of inspection,
  as well as a “SELL BY” date of “06/04/08,” “06/05/08,” “06/06/08″ or
  “06/07/08.”

These ready-to-eat chicken products were distributed to retail
establishments in the Los Angeles, Calif., area. Consumers that may
have purchased these ready-to-eat chicken products at retail
establishments between June 2 and June 7 are urged to check their
refrigerators and freezers and discard them if found.

Consumption of food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes
can cause listeriosis, an uncommon but potentially fatal disease.
Healthy people rarely contract listeriosis. However, listeriosis can
cause, miscarriages and stillbirths, and can also cause serious and
sometimes fatal infections in those with weak immune systems, such as
infants, the elderly, and persons with HIV infection or undergoing
chemotherapy. Infection can spread to the nervous system, resulting in
high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness, nausea, confusion, and
convulsions.

The problem was discovered through microbiological
sampling by FSIS. FSIS has received no reports of illnesses associated
with consumption of these products. Anyone with signs of symptoms of
foodborne illness should consult a medical professional.

Media and consumers with questions about this recall
should contact company Quality Assurance Manager Abelardo Rodriguez at (310) 632-3300.

Consumers with food safety questions can “Ask Karen,” the FSIS virtual
representative available 24 hours a day at AskKaren.gov.
The toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) is
available in English and Spanish and can be reached from l0 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Eastern
Time) Monday through Friday. Recorded food safety messages are available 24 hours a
day.