WKRN.com, (Nashville, TN), "Government Recalls Nearly 6 Million Pounds Of Beef"

          Over the weekend, the government ordered the recall of nearly six million pounds of beef that may be contaminated with dangerous E. Coli bacteria. This is the third recall in the space of just one week. There have been 14 cases of E. Coli poisoning linked to the tainted meat from California based United Food Group. United Food Group originally recalled about half a million pounds but expanded the recall over the weekend to 5.7 million pounds of meat that was shipped to eleven states.
          Friday, Tyson Foods announced it is recalling 40,000 pounds of beef products that were shipped to Wal-Mart Stores. David Goldman with the FDA said this recall is small compared with the 24.7 billion pounds of beef that are produced each year in the United States. There have been six recalls involving beef products in just the past two months and critics fear that recent problems involving other products, such as spinach, peanut butter, and most recently, pet food, have diverted attention from beef.
          The Food Safety Director for the Centers For Science in the Public Interest, Caroline Smith DeWaal, says, "The heat has been off the USDA for the last nine months while the FDA was dealing with these high profile episodes." The beef industry dismisses the increase in recalls asa fluke and points out that E. Coli cases have dropped 80% in the last seven years. Beau Reagan, with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, says, "We need to look at the big picture. This is just really a snapshot." The tainted beef is no longer in stores because it is well past its expiration date. However, the fear is consumers may still have it in their freezers.