Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, May 28, 1993 TAG: 9305280156
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: A-9 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Short
The temporary closings, which took place in March and April, were part of an ongoing review of the country's 1,200 beef slaughter plants, initiated by the USDA in response to a disease outbreak this winter in Washington and other Western states. Four children died and more than 500 people became ill after eating contaminated hamburgers sold by Jack-in-the-Box restaurants.
The plants were chosen because they slaughter cattle that are processed into ground beef. Several of the 30 facilities whose operations were shut down are owned by some of the nation's largest meat processors, including ConAgra and IBP. Operations were temporarily halted from four hours to several days until problems were corrected.
Carcasses contaminated with fecal material, milk or contents from the animal's stomach were the most common violations found, USDA officials said. - Washington Post
by CNB