October 26, 2007
Topps Meat Company is out of business and media attention to the company's huge 22-million-pound ground beef recall largely fizzled out.
But the beef? It's still out there.
Investigators for the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs this week purchased recalled Topps frozen hamburgers in a Union City, New Jersey store, resulting in immediate subpoenas to the stores New York City-based distributor.
The 22 million pounds of ground beef was recalled last month because it was contaminated with E. coli O157:H7 bacteria. At the time it announced the recall, the company said it believed the majority of the tainted burgers had already been eaten.
The recalled products bear the Topps name and also other brand names including Butchers Best, Kohler Foods, Mikes, Pathmark, Rastellis Fine Foods, Roma-Topps, Sams Choice, Sand Castle, ShopRite and West Side.
The publics health is clearly endangered by having these recalled products available for purchase and consumption, New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram said. Our investigators were able to buy 19 boxes of recalled products clearly bearing the Topps name and on the recall list from a Union City store. We want to know what other stores may have purchased these products from the distributor and immediately inspect those stores.
Greater New York Frozen Food Distribution Company, Inc., of New York City has been identified as the distributor of the Topps products to the Union City store. Division of Consumer Affairs staff served a subpoena on the companys New Jersey registered agent last night.
The subpoena requires the distribution company to provide a list of retailers who purchased and/or received products covered under the Topps recall. The information must be provided to the Division of Consumer Affairs no later than October 29.
Our inspection teams are continuing to randomly visit stores and look for the products covered by this recall. In light of yesterdays discovery of recalled products still being available for purchase, we are increasing our inspections, Acting Consumer Affairs Director Larry DeMarzo said.
The recalled products were produced by Topps with a "sell by date" or "best if used by date" that falls between September 25, 2007 and September 25, 2008. The date may be found on the back panel of the package. All recalled products will have a USDA establishment number of EST 9748, which is located on the back panel of the package and/or in the USDA legend.
Florida recall
A Florida company has recalled 8,200 pounds of frozen ground beef because of possible E.coli contamination. Blue Ribbon Meats of Hialeah, Florida, voluntarily recalled the 10-pound and 20-pound boxes of seasoned beef patties and meatloaf patties.
"The frozen beef products were produced between September 14 and September 27, 2007, and were sent to a distributor intended for a correctional institution in Florida and to a distributor intended for a subsequent distributor in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands," FSIS said in a statement.
E.coli O157:H7 is a potentially deadly bacteria that can cause bloody diarrhea and dehydration. The very young, seniors and persons with compromised immune systems are the most vulnerable to foodborne disease.
