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Maine Firm Recalls Ribeye and Carcass
Products That May Contain Specified Risk Materials
Class II Recall
Health Risk: Low
August 29,
2014
MAINE,
August 29, 2014 – Bubier Meats, an establishment in Greene, Maine is
recalling approximately 25,192 pounds of
fresh beef products because the dorsal root ganglia may not have been
completely removed, which is not compliant with federal regulations that require
their removal in cattle 30 months of age and older, the Maine Meat and Poultry
Inspection (MMPI) program announced today.
The products
subject to recall include:
• Quartered beef carcasses that were stamped with
the Maine mark of inspection and establishment number “EST. 4.” with the
following ship dates: 11/13/13,
11/26/13, 1/2/14, 1/21/14, 2/5/14, 2/19/14, 3/5/14, 3/19/14, 4/2/14, 4/30/14,
5/12/14, 5/28/14, 6/11/14, 6/25/14, 7/9/14, 7/23/14, 8/6/14, 8/20/14.
Bubier Meats
advises that the quartered carcasses were distributed to Maine retail stores,
Rosemont Market locations in Portland and Yarmouth, and Maine Meat in Kittery
Maine, on various dates between November, 2013 and August, 2014. All products would have been processed into
smaller cuts with no identifying consumer packaging. Such smaller cuts may
include bone-in ribeye roasts, prime rib roasts, T-bone steaks, porterhouse
steaks, wing steaks, bone-in ribeye steaks, bone-in sirloin steaks and neck
bones.
The problem
was discovered by MMPI during a review of company slaughter logs. Dorsal root
ganglia, branches of the nervous system located in the vertebral column are
considered specified risk materials (SRMs) and must be removed from cattle 30
months of age and older in accordance with federal regulations. SRMs are
tissues that may 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. Although BSE is extremely
rare (only 4 US cows have been identified to date) it remains a human health
concern. Therefore, federal regulations
prohibit SRMs from use as human food to minimize potential human exposure to
the BSE agent.
Every animal
received ante-mortem inspection by MMPI inspection personnel, who observed each
animal at rest and in motion. All animals appeared healthy with no indication
that any of the cattle slaughtered displayed any signs of BSE.
MMPI and
Bubier Meats have received no reports of adverse reactions due to consumption
of these products. Anyone concerned about a reaction should contact a
healthcare provider.
MMPI
routinely conducts recall effectiveness checks to verify recalling firms notify
their customers of the recall and that steps are taken to make certain that the
product is no longer available to consumers.
Consumers
and media with questions about the recall should contact establishment manager
Tobie Bubier at 207-946-5015.
Consumers
with food safety questions can “Ask Karen,” the FSIS virtual representative
available 24 hours a day at askkaren.gov (http://www.askkaren.gov/)or
via smartphone at m.askkaren.gov (http://m.askkaren.gov). “Ask Karen”
live chat services are available Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
ET. 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 l0
a.m. to 4 p.m. (Eastern Time) Monday through Friday. Recorded food safety
messages are available 24 hours a day.
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