Hot Pockets recalled after meat found ‘unfit for human food’

[underpants]

Source: CNBC



Nestlé announced Tuesday that it was voluntarily recalling two of the snack products following a widespread

"Our teams at Nestlé have reviewed our vendor records and have determined that one Nestlé brand has been impacted by the Rancho meat recall," Nestlé said, adding that a small quantity of meat was used at a Hot Pocket production facility in California.

In a release Friday, the Department of Agriculture reported that Rancho Feeding was recalling about 8.7 million pounds of meat because it "processed diseased and unsound animals, and carried out these activities without the benefit or full benefit of federal inspection."

The USDA wrote that the products are "unfit for human food." Its food safety branch noted that it hadn't received any reports of illness from people who ate the items, however.

Read more: http://www.cnbc.com/id/101428311

[arcane1]

1. Let us get rid of the USDA and its job-killing regulations.

The market will sort it out, right?
















<------------- this isn't really necessary but these days you never know.

[ctsnowman]

11. Exactly!

[wordpix]

23. layoff more workers ---we don't need no damn inspections!

I don't even eat meat or anything processed b/c it causes cancer and is crap

[rrneck]

2. Somewhere, Al Bundy weeps. nt

[SoapBox]

16. Hot Pockets = Weenie Tots!

[Faux pas]

3. Only tried them once back when they came out.

Can't believe they've been around this long and that humans are still eating them gag!

[Populist_Prole]

5. Same here. Long before watching what I eat, those things turned me off.

Greasy crust and slimy innards. You could damn near feel your arteries slamming shut with each swallow. Plus, they give off an absolutely putrid odor when being heated in either a microwave or toaster oven. Whenever people at work heat them, the smell in the breakroom quite literally makes me gag.

[FSogol]

7. Rancid grease. Never tried them because the smell is revolting. n/t

[Faux pas]

12. Yeah, I wasn't watching what I was eating then either.

LOL maybe we have some kind of special survival sense!

[Populist_Prole]

13. Oh yeah

Since switching exclusively to "real" food 10 years ago, I've never been more gastonomically satisfied and healthier feeling. I'm at better shape at 50 than I was when I was 35!

[liberal N proud]

4. It took this long to determine Hot Pockets were unfit for humans?

[FSogol]

6. I can't believe anyone trusts anything sold by Nestle. n/t

[Oscarmonster13]

8. this is all i could think of...

[llmart]

44. First thing I thought of too.

He's hilarious, but his Hot Pocket routine is one of the best.

[TwilightGardener]

9. So...my kids ate this--the exact product they recalled. Are we supposed to be worried?

I've never eaten recalled food before, don't know what you're supposed to do other than hope you're OK.

[dixiegrrrrl]

19. Taht food recall has been going on for weeks.

Looks like they just found out HOt Pockets contained the beef.
So far, no illness has been reported.
You probably have to do nothing at this date, but perhaps be aware that processed stuff like hot pockets
are pretty bad food choices overall.
Chances are most of the contaminated meat has been eaten by now.

[TwilightGardener]

20. Oh, I know processed meat isn't from the finest cuts--that said, there's a big difference

between "kinda gross" (like hot dogs and pepperoni, which I figure are similar to hot pockets--not appetizing, but safe) and deadly freakin' mad-cow prions. My boys haven't gotten sick, but then, we don't know what the animals were "diseased" with--the USDA website just says "risk of illness or death"--I mean, wtf? Why don't they tell us what we're supposed to be concerned about, specifically--UNLESS they don't want to send us all into a panic...

[dixiegrrrrl]

21. 8.7 million tons of meat is a LOT

think about it..
they are saying that 8.7 million tons of meat may be unfit to eat.
Which means that a LOT of meat from more than one packer was never inspected.
So this is an idictment of the FDA/Dept of Ag. as much as the packer.
Which does not give me a secure feeling at all.

[aggiesal]

22. I don't believe this is an indictment on the FDA/Dept. of Agriculture . . .

Their budget has been slashed continuously since GWMcIdiot administration,
that they don't have the money to pay for all the inspectors they used to have.

Remember during McIdiot's administration they wanted the distributors to
do self-inspection.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3512227

Like nothing would ever go wrong with that scenario.

[wordpix]

24. all of these fed agencies have foxes guarding the henhouses. I don't see much difference with O

I am doing a lot of research into cancer and it's the same with the FDA. They fast track chemo developed by Big Pharma while preventing the independent drug developer from bringing his to market as it would hurt Phrma's profits. Case in point, see this free documentary:

http://www.burzynskimovie.com/

[HuckleB]

31. Burzynski is a dangerous, unethical quack, and that's being very generous.

Please don't push such things upon others. It's just plain wrong.

http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/tag/stanislaw-burzynski/

[wordpix]

46. he's legit and that's why the FDA helped drug corp's try to steal his patents

There's a huge smear campaign against him, as the documentary makes obvious. You're part of it, or at least swallowing the koolaid

[HuckleB]

47. No, he's not legit.

He's a scam artist.

I am not smearing a scam artist. I am pointing out what he is. You are promoting a dangerous individual who is out only to make money off of sick people.

Don't fool yourself.

http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/stanislaw-burzynski-bad-medicine-a-bad-movie/

[Earth_First]

26. Slight correction: pounds, not tons... nt

[loudsue]

28. Probably had some downed cows with mad cow disease.

The good people of most of Europe won't eat American beef anymore because of the lack of inspection.

[cui bono]

30. If they ate it this morning you can send Nestle/Rancho back the waste product

and ask for a refund.

[cui bono]

32. Seriously, here is the list of recalled products which means this is what is in Hot Pockets.

I don't know about you, but knowing that is the stuff that goes into that sort of thing would make me not eat it or feed it to anyone every again.

List of recalled products:

"Beef Carcasses” (wholesale and custom sales only)
2 per box "Beef (Market) Heads" (retail only)
4-gallons per box "Beef Blood" (wholesale only)
20-lb. boxes of “Beef Oxtail”
30-lb. boxes of “Beef Cheeks”
30-lb. boxes of " Beef Lips"
30-lb. boxes of "Beef Omasum"
30-lb. boxes of "Beef Tripas"
30-lb. boxes of "Mountain Oysters"
30-lb. boxes of "Sweet Breads”
30- and 60-lb. boxes of “Beef Liver”
30- and 60-lb. boxes of “Beef Tripe”
30- and 60-lb. boxes of “Beef Tongue”
30- and 60-lb. boxes of "Veal Cuts"
40-lb. boxes of "Veal Bones"
50-lb. boxes of “Beef Feet”
50-lb. boxes of “Beef Hearts”
60-lb. boxes of "Veal Trim"

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/09/beef-recall_n_4756185.html?1391970099

[Duer 157099]

38. That is the list of beef products that are recalled

in other words, the WHOLE animal.

Those parts are offal and restaurants like Chris Cosentino's specialize in those parts, just fyi. Not just for Hot Pockets etc.

[cui bono]

42. I know. But some of this was used in Hot Pockets since this is the recall they're talking about.

Not sure what you're pointing out, that there is more to worry about? I honestly am not sure if your post is adding to my info or correcting it.

[Duer 157099]

43. I am pointing out that

the list you posted is simply a list of ALL beef parts that are sold, through any processor. You post made it sound like those parts are things that are only used for junk food like Hot Pockets. But that isn't true. Those parts are also used in gourmet restaurants. The link between this recall and Hot Pockets is important only to those that eat Hot Pockets. But the recall involves ALL OF THE BEEF that was produced at that place for a year.

In other words, people who feel safe because they don't eat Hot Pockets, are missing the point.

[cui bono]

45. You are correct. Perhaps I didn't word it well.

I wasn't specifically talking about only Hot Pockets at that point since all that sort of food uses that type of by product.

Anyway, I agree!

[Duer 157099]

48. Thing is,

it isn't just "by-products" that are the problem. It was ALL of the beef, regardless of whether it was processed for filet mignons or ribs or hot dogs.

[cui bono]

51. That's not what I got from the article.

But I was wondering what happened to the rest of it!

I posted an op about the recall and also had that list in there. That list looks like it's just the leftovers according to the names of everything. Is there something on there that is actually the steak section?

[Duer 157099]

54. The thing is they are worried about the health of the animals

Although it is true that *if* what they are concerned over is something like mad cow, apparently that can't be transmitted by eating the muscle tissue, so I guess steak would be on the safe side :whew:

[LittleGirl]

10. frankenfood

I can honestly say, I've never eaten one. thankfully. I can't stomach food that I can't recognize.

[lunasun]

55. +1 !! exactly

[Orrex]

14. They're breathtaking.

[DeSwiss]

15. It's always been ''unfit for human food.'' :-| n/t

[SoapBox]

17. +1000

[sinkingfeeling]

18. All Hot Pockets are 'unfit for human food' even if the meat isn't contaminated.

[wordpix]

25. cancer from shitty food and our corporate masters

[Enrique]

27. in England they make them out of horses

they call them Horse Pockets.

[cui bono]

29. This is the recall I posted about a while ago.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024478665

8.7 MILLION pounds of meat products recalled as unfit for human consumption.

Beef Recall: Rancho Feeding Corp. Recalls A Year's Worth Of Beef Products
AP

Posted: 02/09/2014 4:59 am EST Updated: 02/10/2014 3:59 pm EST

PETALUMA, Calif. (AP) — A Northern California company is recalling more than 8.7 million pounds of beef products because it processed diseased and unhealthy animals without a full federal inspection, federal officials said Saturday.

That's just over a year's worth of meat products processed by Rancho Feeding Corp., which has been under scrutiny by the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. The agency said that without full inspection, the recalled products are unfit for human consumption.

Here's a list of the recalled products.

The products were processed from Jan. 1, 2013, through Jan. 7, 2014, and shipped to distribution centers and retail stores in California, Florida, Illinois and Texas. They include beef carcasses, oxtail, liver, cheeks, tripe, tongue and veal bones.

Last month the company recalled more than 40,000 pounds of meat products produced on Jan. 8 that also didn't undergo a full inspection.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/09/beef-recall_n_4754403.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular

[underpants]

40. I just saw it today - Picture of the Rancho Feeding Corp (HQ? Processing?)

I found this comment on Yelp (could be a plant)

There are many sides of this story. Rancho is the last mom & pop slaughter house in the Bay Area. This is another example of USDA dirty game. I am a CSA member of an organic farm in Sonoma that raise their animal humanely and send their meat to be processed here. They know the process, and I trust my farmer and other local farmers who use this slaughter house so they don't have to haul their animal several hours and stressing them more. Here is more info of the recall
http://www.yelp.com/biz/rancho-feeding-corp-petaluma

This image is from the link provided on the Yelp link above:






http://www.biteclubeats.com/rancho-recall-the-end-of-sonoma-county-beef/

[jsr]

49. Picture says it all

[cui bono]

52. That comment could prove to be interesting.

I remember hearing a story about small ranchers not being allowed to test their cows for mad cow disease since the USDA didn't want them labeled as such. No doubt from pressure/requests of factory farmers.

So perhaps there is some sort of scandal behind the lack of USDA inspections here in order to shut them down. The story at the link in that comment is interesting. That is the last USDA certified processing plant in the area. It says the inspectors were there, so why no inspections? I don't get it.

http://www.biteclubeats.com/rancho-recall-the-end-of-sonoma-county-beef/

The issue at hand is that the meat “did not receive a full inspection” from a USDA inspector It didn’t get a stamp of approval from the USDA. For a year.
...
“The USDA guy practically lives there. He has to be there whenever processing is going on,” said Smith. “If there was a sick cow that showed up, they would turn it away,” she added. “There should have been no recall,” she added, saying the media hype is not only unfair to Rancho, but to the many producers who now have to inform their customers of the recall affecting more than a year’s worth of meat.

She also clarifies that the meat in question wasn’t hamburger or steaks, but offal and carcasses. Meaning you probably didn’t cook any of the meat in question on your barbecue last summer. So don’t freak out. (Here is a list of retailers who carried the meat).

Worst case scenario? We lose the last USDA-certified beef processing plant in the Bay Area (we’ve already lost chicken processing), leaving many local ranchers with no choice but to haul their animals several hours away–stressing the animals, creating higher carbon footprints and crippling extra costs for artisan meat producers throughout the North Bay and beyond.

[blkmusclmachine]

33. Obama wants to axe the Food Inspectors, too. UGH!

[underpants]

41. Looks fine to me

http://www.biteclubeats.com/rancho-recall-the-end-of-sonoma-county-beef/

[cui bono]

53. Well... that's not a fair assessment though I do admit it looks bad. Here's some more info

that shows there may be more to this story...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=733043

[alp227]

34. Saving the health of college kids everywhere! nt

[rhett o rick]

35. In my opinion you are foolish to eat anything that is prepared with meat(?). Dog only knows

what it really is. But people will continue to eat that crap until they find out the truth. If everyone stopped eating it, maybe the industry would use decent meat and not road kill (technically meat).

[Blue Owl]

36. Rot Pockets

[UpInArms]

37. bought them once - prepared according to instructions

what came out smelled terrible and appeared to be inedible - threw it away - never purchased again

ewwwww!

[Duer 157099]

39. The illness of most concern won't show up for years or decades

so, there's that.

And the focus on Hot Pockets sure seems to make a whole lot of people cocky, considering that the whole cows from that processing plant for a whole year are what was recalled. That a small fraction of that beef was used in Hot Pockets is really missing the bigger picture here.