No tainted beef here after all
None of the beef from a Holstein stricken with Mad Cow disease came to Hawaii, according to a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service.
Matt Baun said yesterday that none of the beef products from the cow that was slaughtered Dec. 9 at Vern’s Moses Lake Meat Co. in Lake Moses, Wash. and sent to two Oregon-based suppliers made it to Hawaii.
“These products did not go to Hawaii because they were not part of the transaction,” said Baun. “The reason why we thought it went to Hawaii earlier is because some companies (in the state) buy from this particular plant.”
State veterinarian James Foppoli said federal officials need to verify information before releasing it to the public.
Foppoli said his office received calls from residents wanting to know whether any of the recalled beef was in Hawaii and whether it was safe to eat certain meat cuts.
“We had a difficult time responding because we have not had any information from FSIS,” he said. “A lot of it could have been avoidable.”