WASHINGTON -- Members of Congress demanded Thursday that federal officials quickly hand over a list of stores that received any beef that was the subject of the biggest meat recall in U.S. history.
Richard Raymond, undersecretary of Agriculture, told Rep. Maurice Hinchey and other members of a House subcommittee that oversees the U.S. Department of Agriculture's budget that it could not release the list for proprietary reasons. Pressed by lawmakers, Raymond said he'd confer with agency lawyers about the panel's request.
Hinchey, D-N.Y., warned that if he didn't get a store list by Tuesday, "we're going to start pressing you very hard."
About 143 million pounds of beef from Westland/Hallmark Meat of Chino, Calif., were recalled by the manufacturer last month after the Humane Society of the United States released clandestine videos of slaughterhouse workers there abusing weakened cattle. A subsequent federal investigation showed the plant had not followed USDA rules for inspection of sickly animals. The rules are designed to ensure that cattle infected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease, do not enter the food supply.
The beef was sent to nearly 10,000 warehouses, distributors and stores, the USDA's Kenneth Petersen said. He declined to say what fraction of the 10,000 outlets would be retail establishments. Westland/Hallmark was one of the largest beef suppliers to the school lunch program. The 10,000 recipients do not include schools.
California officials on Tuesday released a list of more than 5,000 supermarkets, restaurants, retailers and school districts in its state that received the recalled meat.
Two years ago today, the USDA proposed a regulation that would allow the agency to publish a list of stores and restaurants that had received a recalled product. The regulation is under discussion between Agriculture officials and the White House, Raymond said. It is in the "very final stages" of being prepared for release, he added.
The National Meat Association opposes the USDA proposal.
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