Wisconsin Firm Recalls Beef Tongues That Contain Prohibited Materials

WASHINGTON, October 17, 2009 - Cargill Meat Solutions Corporation, a Milwaukee, Wisc., establishment is recalling approximately 5,522 pounds of beef tongues that may not have had the tonsils completely removed, which is not compliant with regulations that require the removal of tonsils from cattle of all ages, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.

Tonsils are considered a specified risk material (SRM) and must be removed from cattle of all ages in accordance with FSIS regulations. SRMs are tissues that are known to contain the infective agent in cattle infected with Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), as well as materials that are closely associated with these potentially infective tissues. Therefore, FSIS prohibits SRMs from use as human food to minimize potential human exposure to the BSE agent.

The following product are subject to recall

• "Various weight cases of "BEEF TONGUE #1 White." Each case bears the establishment number "EST. 17690" on the product label.

The beef tongue products were produced between the dates of October 12, 2009 and October 14, 2009, and were shipped to distribution centers in Illinois for further sale.

The problem was discovered during FSIS inspection activities at the establishment. FSIS routinely conducts recall effectiveness checks to verify recalling firms notify their customers (including restaurants) of the recall and that steps are taken to make certain that the product is no longer available to consumers.

Consumer questions regarding the recall should be directed to the company's Consumer Hotline at 1-877-435-4071; media inquiries should be directed to Mark Klein, Corporate Affairs Director, at (952) 742-6211.

Consumers with food safety questions can "Ask Karen," the FSIS virtual representative available 24 hours a day at AskKaren.gov. The toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) is available in English and Spanish and can be reached from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Eastern Time) Monday through Friday. Recorded food safety messages are available 24 hours a day.