Beef recall: Single recall kills 67 year old Topps Meat

How disastrous one recall in your 67 year industry can be? If I say, "potentially fatal," I won't be exaggerating. After all, that's exactly what has happened to Topps Meat, the largest supplier of frozen ground beef products in the US. They had one recall, just one, and now it has been announced that Topps Meat is going to be closing down. The beef recall consisted of 21.7 million pounds of ground beef products. The recalled hamburger patties were believed to be contaminated with fatal E. coli bacteria strain O157:H7. According to CDC website:

E. coli O157:H7 is one of hundreds of strains of the bacterium Escherichia coli. Although most strains are harmless, this strain produces a powerful toxin that can cause severe illness. E. coli O157:H7 has been found in the intestines of healthy cattle, deer, goats, and sheep.

E. coli O157:H7 was first recognized as a cause of illness in 1982 during an outbreak of severe bloody diarrhea; the outbreak was traced to contaminated hamburgers. Since then, more infections in the United States have been caused by eating undercooked ground beef than by any other food.

The company issued the following statement regarding the beef recall

“This is tragic for all concerned,” said Anthony D’Urso, Chief Operating Officer. “In one week we have gone from the largest U.S. manufacturer of frozen hamburgers to a
company that cannot overcome the economic reality of a recall this large. We sincerely regret the impact this will have on our employees, our customers and suppliers, and the community. Most of all, we regret that our products have been linked by public health agencies to recently reported illnesses. We hope and pray for the full recovery of those individuals.”...

As the Company assesses and addresses the impact of the closing on all affected parties, individuals with business-related questions regarding Topps Meat Company can call 888-734-0451 or email info@toppsmeat.com. Employees and government inquiries can call (888) 240-2734.

Information Sources:
- Topps Meat to close after beef recall