Columbus, NB - Trucks packed with beef come and go at the sprawling metal and glass plant on the edge of town.
It is a stark contrast to the picture one year ago, when trucks sat idle, the plant closed and federal inspectors combed through records trying to determine how much hamburger potentially was contaminated with the deadly E. coli bacteria in what became the nation's largest meat recall.
The Hudson Foods recall began with 20,000 pounds on Aug. 12 after 16 people in Colorado became ill from meat linked to the plant. Nine days later, the recall had grown to 25 million pounds of ground beef - enough to make 100 million quarter-pound hamburgers.
Since then, Hudson Foods sold the plant, which reopened under new ownership and many of the same workers. But many questions remain, especially: Where did the tainted meat come from? Why did it take so long to learn the extent of the potential contamination, and could it happen again?
Many of those answers rest in a U.S. Department of Agriculture report that has been turned over to federal prosecutors. The U.S. attorney's office in Omaha announced last year it was launching an investigation into whether Hudson plant management tried to hide the extent of potential contamination.
As the anniversary of the recall approached, U.S. Attorney Tom Monaghan said he could neither confirm nor deny that the investigation was ongoing. He would not comment on whether a grand jury had been convened.
The majority of the plant management team remains in place even though the plant is now being run by IBP Inc., the nation's second-largest beef producer. IBP denied requests for an interview with plant manager Brent Wolke, who was also plant manager during the Hudson recall. Wolke refused to comment when a reporter approached him at the plant.
One-third of the 240 employees at the facility are former Hudson employees. More people work at the plant now than did a year ago, and 30 more are expected to be hired soon.
In a written statement, IBP said the plant meets or exceeds USDA standards.
The company said it did not want to get into specifics about the changes that have been made, but policies aimed at more closely monitoring and tracking units of production are in place. That includes implementation of the USDA's Hazard Analysis, Critical Control Point program.
The HACCP program requires packers and slaughterhouses to identify each point and potential problem in the process where contamination can occur, such as cutting, grinding and overheating, develop steps to prevent it and maintain records documenting that the plan is working.
"By its nature, (HACCP) will also have the effect of reducing the chances of having E. coli in the product produced," Billy said.
IBP said it was confident the plant was taking necessary steps to ensure another recall does not occur.
The recall prompted at least one change not only at the plant but throughout the meat industry: Most processors no longer mix leftover meat awaiting processing from one day with the meat being processed the next day.
Such carryover was blamed for the size of the Hudson recall. USDA investigators feared contaminated meat may have been carried over for processing the next day, contaminating that day's production. Without a definite break in the production chain, company and USDA officials had to recall several days' production.
Although some small processors still may carry over meat to be reworked in the next day's production, most companies stopped the practice, said Rosemary Mucklow, executive director of the National Meat Association.
"Anybody of any size today understands the importance of making sure each day's production is a stand alone," said Mucklow, who doubted a recall the size Hudson's size could occur again.
She said the Hudson recall also changed the relationship between suppliers and beef processors, some of whom no longer make as many deals by telephone. USDA investigators said they believed the meat was contaminated before it came to the Columbus plant from an unidentified supplier.
Meat Industry Insights News Service
P.O. Box 553
Northport, NY 11768
Phone: 631-757-4010
Fax: 631-757-4060
E-mail: sflanagan@sprintmail.com
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