380,000 Pounds of (Mostly Eaten) Meat Recalled From WalMart

Meat math... (4.00 / 2)

Looks like the meat was used to make sandwiches for WalMart's in-store delis.

How much meat goes into a WalMart deli sandwich?  I've never set foot inside a WalMart in my life, they didn't really hit North Jersey until the late 90's, by which time my anti-Big Box ways were already well set in stone.

Let's say 3 ounces?  If an average sandwich is around 6, it's probably half meat and half bread / toppings / fillings, right?

So this would be about 2 million sandwiches, I guess?

Coming soon to a Philadelphia near you!

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by: JayinPortland @ Tue Aug 24, 2010 at 21:42:58 PM UTC

D'oh! (4.00 / 1)

Just realized I could have labeled that post "Math Lessons for Stephen Budiansky".

;)

Coming soon to a Philadelphia near you!

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by: JayinPortland @ Tue Aug 24, 2010 at 21:45:19 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

opaque (4.00 / 1)

I'd like to know more, and more information probably will be released as time unreels.

For example: was the meat used to make and package sandwiches in a central factory, from which sandwiches were distributed to stores? Fraught with possibilities.

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by: count @ Tue Aug 24, 2010 at 22:11:05 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Hmmm... (4.00 / 1)

Have to go look when I get back in a bit.  I'd guess WalMart's sandwiches would be made in some kind of central commissary?  Probably a few big regional ones at most?

I never knew until just now that WalMart even had delis...

Coming soon to a Philadelphia near you!

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by: JayinPortland @ Tue Aug 24, 2010 at 22:17:22 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

They may or may not be (4.00 / 3)

I've never bought a sandwich at WalMart, but I have at Safeway, Fred Meyer, etc. The meat is sliced at the deli, when they're slicing, you can watch 'em. Sandwiches made to order at WalMart, if they offer them, would be made at the country. Perhaps the ones in the deli case, already wrapped and ready to go, would be made at a central location away from the store itself.

Normal people scare me.... But not as much as I scare them.

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by: JoanneRigutto @ Tue Aug 24, 2010 at 22:23:23 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Should have been 'made at the counter' nt (4.00 / 2)

Normal people scare me.... But not as much as I scare them.

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by: JoanneRigutto @ Tue Aug 24, 2010 at 22:24:09 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

that's a good point (4.00 / 2)

The more steps something goes through, the more the possibility that somebody screwed up during one of them and didn't use proper food handling procedures, including thermostat maintenance.

Especially with stuff that has long shelf dates.

So many of those people are paid so poorly and treated so poorly. I'm a terrible slob but when it comes to food freshness I err on the side of conservatism. I'm trying to learn to shop as I go more; makes it easier. Keep some canned and dry stuff around for backup. And even the dry stuff I like to keep cool.  

"If God were to appear to starving people, he would not dare to appear in any other form than food." - Mahatma Gandhi

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by: Miep @ Wed Aug 25, 2010 at 01:18:37 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

"Grab & Go"... (4.00 / 2)

So it sounds like these sandwiches were prepackaged and sitting in cold-cases, as this link notes the recall specifies 20-plus pound cases of "grab & go" sandwiches.

Now the question is how many central commissaries or outsourced food manufacturers does WalMart use for these sandwiches?  Can't find much on that...

Some of the meat names are fantastic, too - "ANGUS ROAST BEEF Coated with Caramel Color".  Heh.  I wouldn't eat something named that even without listeria!

;)

Coming soon to a Philadelphia near you!

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by: JayinPortland @ Wed Aug 25, 2010 at 00:40:38 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Tracking miles... (4.00 / 1)

Or, 'Math Lessons For Stephen Budiansky, Part Deux"

Thinking out loud here...

The meat probably came from cows in the West (although it's possible they source locally or regionally, I doubt that's a high concern for a Tyson Foods affiliate).  Then probably shipped to Buffalo, NY through some intermediary in the Midwest?  Processed in Buffalo, then shipped to wherever the sandwiches were made.  From there, they were shipped to regional distribution centers before reaching the final destination store.  Where they very well may have been driven home 20 or 30 miles or more in someone's personal vehicle.

Is it possible some of these (half-sized, even!) sandwiches may have traveled 6,000 or 7,000 miles (or more)?

Coming soon to a Philadelphia near you!

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by: JayinPortland @ Wed Aug 25, 2010 at 00:53:20 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Meat could have come from other (4.00 / 2)

countries also . . . .  :)

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by: nycstray @ Wed Aug 25, 2010 at 04:45:18 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

makes it go down real smooth (4.00 / 2)

"If God were to appear to starving people, he would not dare to appear in any other form than food." - Mahatma Gandhi

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by: Miep @ Wed Aug 25, 2010 at 01:12:38 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

ambiguity (4.00 / 2)

From the webmd article,

The meat products were produced on various dates from June 18 to July 2, 2010, and have various "Use By" dates ranging from August 20 to September 10, 2010

A statement issued by Walmart says the recall involves the following half- and whole-sized Marketside Grab and Go sandwiches with a "sell by" date of Aug. 25, 2010 or before:

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by: count @ Wed Aug 25, 2010 at 02:11:06 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

eggy recalls (4.00 / 1)

BTW, Jill was correct when she wrote, earlier, that USDA could be involved in egg recalls depending on whether the egg was in the shell. Recalls of processed egg products are USDA recalls. Not sure why Congress mandated FDA and USDA should split up egg recalls in this fashion.

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by: count @ Wed Aug 25, 2010 at 02:16:16 AM UTC

I think that there's neither (4.00 / 2)

rhyme nor reason as to how things are divied up between FDA and USDA....

Normal people scare me.... But not as much as I scare them.

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by: JoanneRigutto @ Wed Aug 25, 2010 at 02:20:26 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Strikes me as it should... (4.00 / 1)

...be the other way around, no?

Whole eggs are an agricultural product, and processed egg products are a food.

Coming soon to a Philadelphia near you!

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by: JayinPortland @ Wed Aug 25, 2010 at 02:25:23 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

That sounds right to me (4.00 / 2)

and this publication from USDA seems to indicate that as all it talks about is shell eggs for eating and hatching -
Regulations Governing the Inspection of Eggs

Normal people scare me.... But not as much as I scare them.

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by: JoanneRigutto @ Wed Aug 25, 2010 at 02:54:59 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

truly weird (4.00 / 2)

From the top of the USDA recall front page

Get information about recalls and public health alerts that involve meat, poultry, or processed egg products.

and from a USDA fact sheet,

Who regulates food products?
The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) within the U.S. Department of Agriculture inspects and regulates meat, poultry and processed egg products produced in federally inspected plants. FSIS is responsible for ensuring that these products are safe, wholesome, and accurately labeled. All other food products are regulated by the Department of Health and Human Services' Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

And there's no doubt the current egg-in-shell recall is FDA.

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by: count @ Wed Aug 25, 2010 at 04:32:05 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Yeah (4.00 / 3)

I get so confused about how USDA and FDA divy up things. In my mind FDA should drugs and processed foods, and USDA unprocessed foods and things like shell eggs. After all, USDA regulates grading of the eggs, who has to license for grading and handling, FSIS does that, etc. They also determine on shell eggs what constitutes adulterated products.

Makes me glad I'm small enough to not have to jump through all of those hoops.

Normal people scare me.... But not as much as I scare them.

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by: JoanneRigutto @ Wed Aug 25, 2010 at 17:22:24 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

I think (4.00 / 1)

this recall might possibly focus enough attention on this divided responsibility that Congress might change the situation, giving USDA all responsibility for eggs and egg products.

I won't hold my breath, though.

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by: count @ Wed Aug 25, 2010 at 17:25:29 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

the whole egg recall thing (4.00 / 2)

seemed weird to me, as I generally work on the assumption that any eggs may have salmonella, and any chicken.

And that salmonella isn't that hard to kill, but that you should make sure you heat the eggs enough to do so.

I got the sense that they were trying to insinuate that all the rest of the eggs (let alone the chicken) were safe. I'd never believe that, eat a raw egg, make my own mayonnaise. Not unless I knew the chickens.

"If God were to appear to starving people, he would not dare to appear in any other form than food." - Mahatma Gandhi

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by: Miep @ Wed Aug 25, 2010 at 02:57:05 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

This is also interesting with regard to salmonella in broilers (4.00 / 3)

According to CIDRAP in 2005 salmonella was not considered an adulterant in broilers, and now, according to Bill Marler's blog new salmonella and campylobacter standards are either proposed or will be implemented to reduce, but not eliminate salmonella and campylobacter in broilers. I think it's still not considered an adulterant if found at the lower levels.

CIDRAP article
Bill Marler's Food Safety News article

Normal people scare me.... But not as much as I scare them.

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by: JoanneRigutto @ Wed Aug 25, 2010 at 04:05:31 AM UTC

[ Parent ]