Personal Injury Law

Kansas Packing Company Calls Back Cow Heads

We could really gross you out with this one.   Elkhorn Valley Packing in Harper, KS is  voluntarily recalling 406,000 pounds of frozen cattle heads because the tonsils were not completely removed.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service requires that tonsils from cattle of all ages be removed as a specified risk material that may possibly be an infectious agent for mad cow disease.

The product recall from Elkhorn Valley Packing is for various weight bulk boxes labeled "Beef Whole Heads, Keep Refrigerated." Each shipping package bears the establishment numbers EST 19549A inside the USDA mark of inspection as well as a package code of 91700 or 93700.

The other cow parts that are banned from the human food chain include the skull and brain, eyes, small intestine, and vertabrat and spinal cord.  (See illustration from USDA)

The problem was discovered at a state-inspected processing company that received some of the products, which were packed before March 28, and verified that there had been incomplete removal of the tonsils.

There have been no reports of illness from the product and the recall is being listed as "low risk."

Full post as published by Mad Cow Blog on April 07, 2008 (boomark / email).