Beef processed at Nebraska Beef, one of the country's biggest meat processors, was recalled by the Whole Foods Market on Friday. According to a story in the Washington Post, it is the second time in two months that beef processed by Nebraska Beef had to be recalled owing to e coli outbreak concerns, "Whole Foods Recalls Beef Processed At Plant Long at Odds With USDA." Last month more than 5 million pounds of beef processed by Nebraska Beef was recalled following an e coli outbreak in seven states.
Over the course of the last six years the USDA and Nebraska Beef have been on a merry-go-round of citations issued by the agency and lawsuits. The citations have been for feces on carcasses, clogged meat wash sinks, and violation of regulations aimed at preventing spread of mad-cow disease, The company has responded with lawsuits accusing the agency with bias.
Nebraska Beef was awarded $7.5 million in tax subsidies by the Nebraska state government. This while battling the USDA along with neighbors of the plant who have complained about manure from the plant being strewn in the streets. In 2002, the National Labor Relations Board ruled that Nebraska Beef had violated federal law by its actions to prevent unionization of the plant's workforce.
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